European Championship: Underdogs Ireland take on France in Dublin
Last Updated: 17/10/14 11:29am
Ireland will be cast in the familiar role of underdogs when they launch their European Championship campaign against France in Dublin on Saturday afternoon.
The Irish face matches against the French, Scotland and Wales with a place in the 2016 Four Nations Series as well as automatic qualification for the 2017 World Cup at stake.
The Wolfhounds secured home advantage for two of their matches from the open draw and Scotland will be the visitors to Dublin's Tallaght Stadium next Saturday before bringing down the curtain on the tournament against the Welsh in Wrexham on Sunday, November 2.
Mark Aston's side found themselves up against big guns Australia, England and Fiji in the 2013 World Cup and, not surprisingly, lost all three group matches.
"We learned a lot from that,'' Ireland coach Mark Aston said. "When you play against Australia and England there is always that little bit of doubt about whether we'd be able to compete.
"But we will go into every game this year thinking we can win and that's important.''
Domestic players
Without most of the big names from the World Cup, including skipper Liam Finn who has joined the backroom staff after succumbing to injury, Aston has been forced to bolster his squad with players from Ireland's fledgling domestic league, a strictly amateur competition.
"It's tough because the funding's been taken away from Ireland and Scotland so there's no full-time staff,'' Aston said.
We've included five domestic players in the 20-man squad and two have got to play, so there's something for those people playing in the Irish domestic competition to aspire to.
Mark Aston
"It's all volunteers who are doing some good work and it's coming on, but it's slow and it's always going to be slow when you haven't got the resources.
"But we're not going to get hung up about it, we'll give it a good shot and we'll enjoy ourselves.
"We've included five domestic players in the 20-man squad and two have got to play, so there's something for those people playing in the Irish domestic competition to aspire to.''
The side will be led by Leigh forward Bob Beswick, who will match Finn's record of 19 caps, while France will begin a new era following the retirement of regulars Thomas Bosc, Olivier Elima and Gregory Mounis under the captaincy of Jason Baitieri.
"Following on from the World Cup, it is probably a slight disappointment that the teams aren't going to be as strong as the ones which took the field last year,'' French coach Richard Agar said.
"You lose that continuity and momentum that you build up but, at the same time, I think it gives the new breed of players an opportunity, certainly in France's case.
"The prize at the end of the day for those guys is to cement their place within the international set-up with the prospect of playing in a Four Nations at the end of it as well.''
Fifteen of Agar's 18-man squad are past or present Catalan players, with Toulouse gainly belated recognition through the late call-up of veteran forward Aaron Wood and young winger Tony Maurel.
Ireland (from): M Hadden (Antrim), C Dunne (Athboy), Mikey Russell (Barnhall), S Hesketh (Batley), W Kelly (Belfast Met Scholars), H Peacock (Carcassonne), J Murphy (Dewsbury), L Ambler, C Casey, B Johnston (all Halifax), E Cosgrove (Keighley), R Mulhern (Leeds), B Beswick (capt), M Platt (both Leigh), J Toole (North Sydney), C Mulkeen (Oxford), S McDonnell (St Helens), G O'Keeffe (Treaty City), W Hope (unattached), B Hargreaves (Wigan St Patricks).
France (from): J Baitieri (capt), J Bousquet, D Cardace, B Garcia, A Maria, E Pelissier (all Catalan Dragons), K Larroyer (Hull KR), J Fakir (Lezignan), R Marginet, F Vaccari (Palau), T Fages (Salford), J-P Baile, W Barthau, T Margalet, M Pala, M Simon (St Esteve), T Maurel, A Wood (Toulouse).
