Ireland begin Olympic quest in Valencia
The New Zealander, who will quit his post to return to his homeland regardless of whether Ireland earn a place at Rio 2016, is aiming to guide the Green Army to a top six placing in the 10-team World League 3 tournament.
Ireland won World League 2 on home soil with six wins from six in March but the size of their task at this higher level was illustrated by seven games in North America last month, where they shared a three-game series with Canada and were beaten three times by the USA. But they coped well with soaring temperatures for Friday’s 2-0 win over Chile in their final warm-up, and will be hopeful of attaining their first goal — to emerge from a pool containing today’s opponents South Africa, Germany, Uruguay, and the USA.
