Key match against France

So far, so good, Ireland couldn't have asked for any more from their opening two pool games in the World Cup qualifier in France. But those supporters in Amiens last night who were already discussing airfares to Perth, Australia, the venue for next year's finals, were being a touch premature - there's plenty of work to be done yet before plans of that scale can be made.

While the players are loathe to admit it, today's game against England in Abbeville has always been put down as 'a probable defeat' in the calculations for what the team requires to finish in the top two in Pool A, but tomorrow's meeting with France in Amiens very definitely falls in to the 'must win' category.

"A draw against England would be fantastic," said Jenny Burke, scorer of four goals against Uruguay on Thursday, "but it will be tough, we'll see what happens. We're trying not to think beyond the next game but we know France on Sunday is huge for us. They've lost their first two games so they have to beat us to stay alive - if we beat them we should finish ahead of them in the pool, so that would be one rival out of the way."

While both India and France still maintain top-two ambitions, the Ukraine - who Ireland play in their final pool game next Wednesday - look like they may prove to be the biggest threat to hopes of automatic qualification. True, they are unfamiliar with the art of defending (they've conceded 13 goals in three games) but their attack can be mesmerising (12 goals in three games) and still features one of the world's finest players, Tetyana Kobzenko, who scored a hat-trick against Ireland in Ukraine's 3-2 victory at the European finals two years ago.

Meanwhile any assumptions that the game against Kazakstan (Tuesday) would be a gentle work-out were dispelled on Thursday night when the team chosen from a pool of just 150 hockey players (and one that had never played on astroturf before this tournament) lost by just a single goal, scored 12 minutes from time, to England.

Still, it's hard not to think of Perth. "My uncle in Australia sent all the players a postcard," said Jenny Burke. "I've mine stuck to the wall. Just looking at it is enough motivation, we'll do anything to get there, anything."

Results so far - Pool A: India 2, Uruguay 0; Ukraine 6, Kazakstan 4; France 0, England 4; Kazakstan 2, Uruguay 0; Ireland 1, India 0; Ukraine 2, England 6; Ireland 6, Uruguay 0; Ukraine 4, France 3; England 1, Kazakstan 0. Pool B: Japan 5, Belgium 0; Lithuania 2, Scotland 2; Russia 1, Canada 0; Japan 3, Lithuania 0; Russia 4, Scotland 0; Canada 4, Malaysia 1; Scotland 3, Malaysia 1; Japan 1, Russia 1. Today (Irish times) - Pool A: India v Ukraine, 12.0; France v Kazakstan, 2.30; Ireland v England, 5.0. Pool B: Malaysia v Japan, 12.0; Canada v Lithuania, 5.0; Scotland v Belgium, 7.30. Tomorrow - Pool A: Uruguay v Ukraine, 12.0; Ireland v France, 5.0; England v India, 7.30.