News

BOD seeks World Cup redemption

December 02 2008

Ireland centre and skipper Brian O'Driscoll admits his team should be disappointed by their World Cup record but hopes 2011 will be different.

The Irish cause in New Zealand in three years has been helped by a reasonably kind group draw that saw them matched with Australia, Italy and the second best qualifiers from Europe and the Americas.

In three World Cups, O'Driscoll has appeared in just one quarter-final and the Leinster centre is eager for that statistic to be improved.

"Sure, there's a sense we haven't fulfilled ourselves. We've got out of the pool stages once in the last three World Cups," he said.

"That's not something to shout from the rafters. We want to do better than that but we won't be telling everyone at this stage."

Whether it is O'Driscoll who leads Ireland in three years remains to be seen, though the 29-year-old hopes he will remain at the helm.

"I want to be involved but experience teaches you not to look too far ahead," he said.

"The game can be fickle, especially when the body gets older. Hopefully in three years time I'll still have the wherewithal to play at this level.

"It would be fantastic to play in a fourth World Cup but it's a long, long way away."

A year has elapsed since Ireland's abysmal campaign in France last year, when group defeats by Les Bleus and Argentina sent them tumbling out of the competition.

More embarrassing were narrow victories over minnows Namibia and Georgia and head coach Kidney fears Pool C's outsiders will be gunning for an upset in 2011.

"Being ranked second will make us the target team for the other sides in the pool. They'll be looking to have a go at us," said Kidney.

"This draw is a fantastic way to start the competition but the World Cup is so far away that it's impossible to say who will be around or involved.

"We have played against Australia in World Cups before and Italy being in the group will add spice to our Six Nations matches over the coming three years."