Ireland ready for toughest test

COACH Dave Passmore is confident the Irish men’s hockey team are in peak condition for their attempt to qualify for September’s World Cup in Germany.

They begin their qualifying campaign here in China this morning against England - the first of six games in 10 days.

Since the Irish won the European Nations Championship in Rome last September to qualify for this tournament - and a shot at a World Cup place - Passmore has worked relentlessly with his players, to the point, he says, where they were on the brink of exhaustion.

“The players have done everything we’ve asked of them, and we asked a lot,” the coach said.

Preparations included tournaments in South Africa, Egypt and France.

Passmore is hopeful the experiences will benefit his players over the next fortnight. “China will be another change of culture and environment, and what we’re waiting to see is which players will stand up and be counted.

“They are a very young team and many of them have not played at world level before, so that could be a critical factor in how well we perform during the tournament,” he said.

Ireland have been drawn in Pool A along with England, Canada, Belgium, Egypt and Pakistan. The hosts, China, join France, Malaysia, Japan, Korea and New Zealand in Pool B.

Passmore continued: “The hope is that they will blossom in a very tough environment and I’ll be looking to young players like John Jermyn, Phelie Maguire and Timmy Cockram to step up to the plate in this tournament.

“They will complement players like captain Paddy Brown and the Black brothers, Mark and Jason. Mark is our engine room in midfield and Jason has pace and strength at the back,” he said.

Despite such youth, the likes of Stephen Butler, Mark Irwin, Justin Sherriff, Jason Black and Paddy Brown, have amassed 456 caps between them.

One worry however is in the goalkeeping department, with the inexperienced duo, Charlie Henderson and Mark Ruddle, filling the void following the retirements of Wes Bateman and Nigel Henderson.

Passmore admits that with just 28 caps between them, Ruddle and the junior Henderson “will have to come of age” if Ireland are to do well.

“Goalkeeper is obviously a crucial position. While Charlie has been playing well recently, Mark has only recently found some form. Both of them will have to be at their best for us to progress.”