BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | International | Siberian sentence for Irish



By David Walmsley BBC Sport Online

When Ireland lost to Argentina in the 1999 Rugby World Cup, there were plenty of irate fans who would happily have sent the team to Siberia.

Three years on, they are about to get their wish.

The Irish team's punishment for failing to reach the quarter-finals of Wales '99 is a spell of hard labour in the European qualifying competition for the 2003 finals.

O'Sullivan's World Cup warning

So next Thursday, Eddie O'Sullivan's squad will set off for Siberia, not for exile in the gulag or salt mines, but to take on Russia in the city of Krasnoyarsk.

Just to complicate things further, Krasnoyarsk is not even in Europe.

We've started changing our sleeping patterns to cope with the time difference

Rob Henderson
Ireland centre

The region is actually in Asia, sharing a border with Mongolia, and its capital is closer to Ulan Bator than Moscow.

"All we know is that we are playing a Europe Zone qualifier in Asia. It's a step into the complete unknown," centre Rob Henderson told BBC Sport Online.

Henderson's bemusement at the choice of venue was shared by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) itself.

"That was one of the first things we queried," said IRFU operations director Martin Murphy, who has visited the city to check on arrangements.

O'Driscoll: Romania show was poor

"But it is the headquarters of Russian rugby and it is the area with the greatest concentration of players.

"When it's not snowed in, that's where they play their home matches - even though it's in Asia."

"When it's not snowed in" is hardly a phrase to inspire confidence in the visitors, but Murphy is happy with what he has seen.

Rob Henderson (left) hears the hotel has a microwave
With expected temperatures of 20-25 degrees Celcius next Saturday, snowshoes will not be required.

And although a climate that veers from minus 45 degrees in winter to plus 35 degrees in high summer means the turf is on the bald side of patchy, the 50,000-capacity stadium is adequately equipped.

Getting there, however, is where the difficulties arise.

"It is a horrendous journey and on the basis of my visit we've decided to charter a plane," Murphy explained.

Flying from Dublin to Moscow for refuelling before taking off again for the last leg of the 3,200-mile journey, the Irish party aim to cut Murphy's 20-hour odyssey in half.

They will arrive less than 48 hours before kick-off and have already begun preparing to cope with the strain.

It is a horrendous journey

Martin Murphy
IRFU operations director

"The time difference and the fact that there is a lot of travelling means that we won't have a lot of time to shift any jet lag," Henderson said.

"Because of that, we've started changing our sleeping patterns already so that we're ahead of the game."

One thing the Irish will not be taking is their own chef or provisions, beyond mineral water and supplements.

"We did think about that but the food is fine," said Murphy.

"There are bars and restaurants in Krasnoyarsk and quite a few western influences."

Some squad members, though, will not be taking any chances.

"I'll be taking a few ready meals for one, just in case," said Henderson. "As long as the hotel has a microwave, I'll be fine."


	Links to more International stories