The first of two planes carrying Argentina's squad landed early yesterday morning. The Pumas decided to arrive on separate flights because there were not enough business-class seats to bring them all out together. The second group of players are due to fly in tomorrow, the day Ireland are due to arrive.

The Argentinians who landed were playing down their chances of beating Australia in the opening match. Outhalf Gonzalo Quesada said the Pumas would need to play the game of their lives if they wanted to upset the Wallabies.

Australia and Argentina meet in the opening game at Sydney's Olympic Stadium on October 10th. The other teams in Pool A are Romania and Namibia.

"If every player doesn't play the best game of his life it won't be enough," said Quesada, the leading points scorer at the 1999 World Cup.

Quesada said Argentina were a superior team to the Pumas side that reached the quarter-finals four years ago - when they beat Ireland in Lens - but were relying on Australia playing poorly to beat them.

"I don't think we'll have many chances against them but Australia may feel the pressure of being hosts and defending champions," he said. "Maybe, just maybe, with a little luck that will count against them.

"The two big teams are Australia and Ireland and we're obliged to win one of those two games if we want to make the quarter-finals," Quesada said.

The Irish management also have Argentina on their minds but they're not taking anything for granted with the so-called weaker sides in Pool A.

"People have gremlins in their mind about the last time we played Argentina in the World Cup and they are also looking at the Australia game - but Romania are a tough side as well," said Ireland manager Brian O'Brien.

"We've played them already, and these guys take no prisoners. They're a very tough side. Everybody will be expecting us to go through them with no problem, but we don't see it that way. I hope we'll go through without injuries."

The remaining 18 visiting teams will arrive at various times over the next two weeks.

Wales land in Sydney today before relocating to Canberra at the end of the week. Scotland, also due to arrive today, will set up camp on Queensland's Sunshine Coast before moving on to Townsville.

Tomorrow is the busiest day with Ireland, Canada and Romania arriving in Sydney, while France and the United States land in Brisbane. Georgia and Samoa also fly into Perth later that day.

Pool D rivals Tonga and Italy are scheduled to fly into Canberra on Thursday while Namibia get to Sydney the same day.

Six Nations champions England arrive in Perth in the early hours of Friday morning and Uruguay land in the West Australia capital the same day.

South Africa and Fiji arrive on Sunday, with the Springboks landing in Perth ahead of their Pool C showdown with England and the Fijians touching down in Sydney before moving on to Brisbane for their opening match against France.

Asian champions Japan fly direct to their north Queensland base of Townsville next Monday to prepare for the clash with Scotland. Tournament favourites New Zealand will be the last team to arrive, getting to Melbourne on October 8th.

Hosts Australia assembled at their training camp at a banana plantation at Coffs Harbour, on the New South Wales coast, last week. They will relocate to Sydney on October 8th.

Meanwhile, Fiji officials have appealed to former captain Simon Raiwalui (29) to come out of international retirement for the World Cup following the injury withdrawal of Ifereimi Rawaqa.

Rawaqa damaged his back during training and withdrew from the squad at the weekend, leaving Fiji desperate for a second-row replacement.