Millar says Cup draw lands Ireland in ‘pool of death’

IT’S difficult to imagine how things could have worked-out any worse for Ireland as the finals draws for the 2007 World Cup in France was made at the Mansion House yesterday.

For the third tournament in a row, Ireland have been pitted in a pool with their bete-noir, Argentina, and if that wasn't tough enough on the nerves of Irish coach Eddie O'Sullivan, his side have also been drawn in the same pool as the host nation for the second tournament in a row.

Predictably, it was only a matter of seconds before Syd Millar, chairman of RWC Ltd, had labelled Pool D of the competition, the 'pool of death'.

If all that wasn't bad enough luck and judging by the shrug of O'Sullivan's shoulder when the draw was made, it certainly was Ireland will most likely face New Zealand in the quarter-final stages should they emerge pool runners-up.

The other two teams in Ireland's pool are as yet unknown, but their origin is. The third team to emerge from the European qualifying competition (most likely Georgia or Portugal), and the number one African qualifier (Morocco or Namibia), will make up the numbers in Pool D.

Of course, Argentina still have to win the Americas qualifying group to gain official entry into the pool, but as the Irish coach stated afterwards: "That's pretty much done and dusted. If anything else happens, I'll eat my hat, with relish."

There was also a tongue-in-cheek compliment from the coach to IRB chairman Millar, who pulled Ireland's name from the draw drum: "I thanked Syd personally after the draw for his contribution to Irish rugby."

O'Sullivan quickly spoke of the difficulty of the task. "We're back in again at the deep end. We shouldn't get too carried away at the moment, we're still three years away and we'll see how the dust settles in three years time. But the two things out of that draw are that with France, the host nation, we're going to be away from home, whereas if we had a different country a New Zealand or an Australia, we'd be at home to them.

"The other factor is Argentina, which is going to be a very difficult game as well. The World Cups is always their focal point, they don't have a Six Nations like we do every year, so that will be their big day in the sun and they always put up big performances in it."

There was praise too for Bernard Laporte's French side, who Ireland could quite reasonably face in the opening game of the tournament at the Stade de France.

"I think what Laporte has brought to the French team is a consistency in many different ways; the way they play the game, in their structures in defence and attack, and he's brought in a huge level of discipline to the side.

"You could beat French teams in the past by the penalties they give away through indiscipline but you can'tanymore," said O'Sullivan.Irish captain Brian O'Driscoll expressed similar views to his coach, but he believed that Argentina wouldn't be as difficult an opponent as they were in Adelaide last October.

"I think the edge is back with Ireland, but really you can only go game by game, not World Cup by World Cup.

"Argentina been a great side over the past five, six years and they'll be a tough side to beat again, hopefully we will be too. I thought we showed great courage and great balls to come through that game, because it was the most uncomfortable game on the pitch that anyone in an Irish jersey has every played.

"But again that's three years down the track and anything can happen."

French captain, Fabien Pelous said: "I hope it won't be death for us in the pool. It will be a very difficult group with three teams who can qualify for the quarter-finals.

"Home advantage is definitely going to influence the result. It's a French tradition that you defend your fortress with everything you've got and we'll certainly be doing that. The football World Cup of '98 will also inspire us," said Pelous.

As for the rest of the draw, Pool A, containing World Champions England, appears to be the next toughest grouping in the competition.

Clive Woodward's side will face South Africa and either Fiji or Samoa in the early stage, with the third team from the Americas qualifiers and one repechage entry making up the rest of the contingent. Australia have been paired with Wales in Pool B, while Scotland appear to have a difficult task in making it to the quarter-finals as they face both New Zealand and Italy in Pool C.

England were represented at the draw by coach Andy Robinson and flanker Richard Hill, who opened proceedings by carrying the Webb Ellis Cup on to the stage before Rugby World Cup chairman Millar and French Rugby Federation president Bernard Lapasset made the draw.

"The great thing for us is that we will be playing all our games in France we will be housed in one country, whereas we could have had Ireland at Lansdowne Road or Scotland at Murrayfield, for instance," said Robinson.

"I am happy with it, it is a good draw. We will play anywhere, and you have to win these games anywhere in the world."

Hill added: "It was a great encounter against South Africa in the last World Cup, and I am sure that they will want to beat us.

"The draw has thrown up a lot of similarity for us with the last World Cup."