Irish have revenge on their minds
May 20, 2002

If Ireland qualify for the World Cup finals - they are favourites to fill the tournament's ninth seeding as Europe one - they'll be in pool A alongside reigning world champions Australia and Argentina.

Which would give them a chance to exact revenge on Argentina for dumping them into the qualifiers in the first place. Argentina beat them in after a nailbiting quarter-final play-off clash in France three years ago.

The Pumas were responsible for pitching Ireland into an unwanted qualification programme next autumn which will involve a trip to Russia and a home tie with Georgia before their place in the tournament is formally guaranteed.

Presuming Ireland emerge from the qualifying round to take European top spot, then their group opponents will be the leading African qualifier from Zimbabwe, Namibia, Morocca, Tunisia, Ivory Coast or Madagascar, and fourth-ranked European nation, possibly Spain.

And looking beyond that, if Ireland reached the quarter-finals, as they did in 1987, 1991 and 1995, it would effectively mean a showdown with Six Nations rivals France or Scotland. But if Ireland fail to qualify as European top dogs, then they could find themselves in the same group as New Zealand or England and South Africa.

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