HOCKEY/European Championships: After experiencing wildly different fortunes in their pool campaigns there were, naturally enough, contrasting moods in the Irish men's and women's camps in Barcelona yesterday, which was a rest day in the European finals.
While the men prepared for today's ninth-12th play-off against Switzerland the women have an extra 24 hours to rest their weary bones ahead of tomorrow's fifth-eighth crossover against France.
The only straw for the men to clutch at after their failure to secure a top eight finish at this tournament is that promotion from the B division next time around would strengthen their hopes of winning a place in the next World Cup Qualifier, putting them in a better position than the two teams relegated from the A division in the same season.
It would have taken a brave soul, though, to attempt to raise the spirits of a dejected group of players by offering that scenario after their draw with Belgium, it counts for nothing now and is scant consolation for the fact they won't be competing at a level where they feel they belong in the next European finals.
They will, however, attempt to finish the tournament with two wins, starting today against the Swiss - who finished bottom of pool B with five defeats - and concluding against Russia or Italy on Friday.
The women, meanwhile, will meet a familiar foe in France tomorrow. Since losing to the French at the World Cup Qualifier in 2001 Ireland have beaten them twice in competitive games, 3-0 in the 2002 European Qualifier in Dublin and 2-0 in the Celtic Cup last month in Wales. That form-guide should, then, make Riet Kuper's team favourites to advance to Friday's fifth-sixth play-off where they would meet either Scotland or the Ukraine.
Victories over the French, though, rarely come easy for Ireland and are usually bruising affairs - their meeting in 2001 probably needed to be policed rather than umpired.
EUROPEAN NATIONS CUP
(at Barcelona)
Women - Today - Ninth-12th play-offs: Azerbaijan v Wales, 11.30; Italy v Russia, 11.30. Tomorrow - Fifth-eighth play-offs: Ireland v France, 9.0; Scotland v Ukraine, 9.0. Semi-finals: Holland v Germany, 11.30; England v Spain, 2.0.
Men - Today - Ninth-12th play-offs: Ireland v Switzerland, 2.0; Italy v Russia, 2.0. Fifth-eighth play-offs: France v Scotland, 4.30; Poland v Belgium 7.0. Tomorrow: Semi-finals: Germany v England, 4.30; Holland v Spain, 7.0.
