Ireland hoping to learn from mistakes made at European Championships as Olympic trail beings

'We are going in there with very little pressure, not knowing what to expect and absolutely anything can happen. On our day, we can take it to the top teams'

The Ireland women's hockey team pictured at the Sport Ireland Institute before they travelled to Japan for the Olympic Games. Picture: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Safely installed in the Olympic Village, Hannah Matthews knows “anything can happen” over the next two weeks as the Irish women’s hockey team close in on their Olympic debut in Japan.

Matthews was the last to arrive to the party on Saturday, linking up with the side in Tokyo direct from Dublin while the rest of the panel enjoyed a memorable holding camp in Iwate, the country’s “cabbage capital” 500km to the north.