Rocky road to World Cup

Ireland's failure to qualify for the quarter-finals of the 1999 Rugby World Cup has ensured that they will have to fight their way into the tournament in 2003. That heartbreaking defeat to Argentina in Lens has left a more practical legacy: namely, to join the ranks of the minnows.

The International Board (IRB) ruled that the quarter-finalists from the 1999 finals - Australia, France, New Zealand, South Africa, England, Scotland, Wales and Argentina - will automatically qualify and be seeded for the 2003 tournament.

A more damaging consequence is that Ireland will face a tough draw in the qualifiers: they are not seeded and will end up facing one, if not two, of the better teams in the finals. That is without doubt the most disturbing aspect of last year's failure.

That said, while the stigma attached to Ireland's omission from the elite eight might be a little embarrassing, they should not be taxed unduly in guaranteeing a place at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2003.

Ireland found themselves in a similar position in relation to the 1999 tournament, in that they had to skip through a qualification process that pitted them against Georgia and Romania: they plundered a hat-full of tries, never having to stir from Lansdowne Road.

There were not alone in terms of the recent World Cup, as all bar the finalists in the 1995 tournament and the hosts, Wales, avoided the qualification scramble. England found themselves steamrolling past Italy and the Netherlands in matches that questioned the competitive aspect of the process.

This was a central factor in the IRB's decision to offer automatic entry to the 1999 quarter-finalists, thereby reducing the number of ducks being shot in the bath.

The details of qualifying have not yet been addressed by the IRB, but one can reasonably assume that there will be more than one European qualification pool, thereby preventing a sweaty-palm scenario that would see Ireland grouped with Italy and Romania. Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Russia and Germany are teams from the third tier in Europe that will be vying for places in the next World Cup.

In fairness, Ireland have improved beyond all recognition since the Lens debacle, both in results and the style and play, and it would be churlish to suggest that they will encounter any difficulties.

The qualifying is likely to take place in October of 2002. Next season Ireland welcome New Zealand, Samoa and Canada during November, but the World Cup games are likely to be earlier in the season of 2002-2003. Interestingly, in the summer before the 2003 World Cup takes place - it starts in September - Ireland will tour Australia, Samoa and Tonga.

It is someway distant, and at the moment Ireland coach Warren Gatland and the IRFU are fine-tuning the details for the Polish training base where the Irish squad will spend three weeks during the summer.