South American trek for Irish men

Ireland will have to get the better of two sides ranked above them if they are to qualify for the men’s 2010 World Cup, it was revealed yesterday. The International Hockey Federation (FIH) yesterday confirmed the qualifying pools for the final three available places at the tournament, with Paul Revington’s side heading to Argentina from November 14-22 for the tournament. They are ranked third in a pool which includes the Argentineans, top seeds Belgium, USA, the Czech Republic and Chile. Ireland will be confident of defeating the latter three, but the hosts and Belgium will provide their primary obstacles, with just one team progressing from the pool. Nonetheless, Ireland know both sides well, and will be encouraged by Belgium’s flaky performances at the recent European championships. Furthermore, five Irish internationals will be plying their trade in the Belgian domestic league this season, adding further spice to the tie. Meanwhile, despite improved performances for both the Irish men and women in European competition this summer, the pair remain at 18th and 15th respectively in the latest world rankings list, released yesterday.