Pleasant blows the wind for France

The auguries are good. John O'Sullivancan hardly wait for the rugby year to unfold.

I have spread my dreams under your feet; tread softly because you tread on my dreams. Thus runs the final entreaty of the WB Yeats poem Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven. The Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan might understand the sentiments, especially considering the unfettered expectations that accompany his charges into the new year.

Victories over South Africa and Australia in the November Test series, a Triple Crown last spring and decent performances against the rampant All Blacks last summer combine to suggest Ireland can be substantially more than bit-part players in the 2007 Rugby World Cup.

These are not just green-tinged evaluations; outsiders have been quick to identify Ireland as the Northern Hemisphere heavyweights. And yet . . . the green fields of France are still some way distant.

In terms of immediacy there is the proving ground of the Six Nations Championship and the not-inconsiderable task of beating Wales at the Millennium Stadium, first time out. History beckons as Croke Park opens it doors to rugby, France the first visitors, England to follow.

They promise to be special occasions, harbouring resonance beyond the simple context of a game of rugby.

O'Sullivan won't be shouting from the Hogan Stand about Irish potential; the history of the sport in this country is bookmarked with broken promise. The statistic of one only Grand Slam needs little elaboration.

That's not to underestimate this current squad of players. They have the talent to realise dreams but like all champions will require a large dollop of good fortune.

By the time the Aer Lingus flight touches down at Aeroport de Bordeaux Merignac next September, Ireland's World Cup credentials will be more clearly defined. They will first try to account for Namibia and Georgia in France's wine capital before embracing the bustle of Paris and more rigorous assignments in Saint-Denis (France) and Parc des Princes (Argentina). It's a ridiculously tough pool but surviving it will bring concomitant satisfaction.

The 2007 version of the Rugby World Cup poses a familiar question: can the All Blacks translate their status as the world's best team into outright victory? It's a familiar scenario for New Zealand, but only in 1987 have they been equal to the task.

South Africa and Australia will improve appreciably from those teams that pitched up at Lansdowne Road in November and were unceremoniously tossed out by their hosts. The defending champions, England, are in flux and no one can be sure in what condition they will turn up, presumably still under the baton of the former Ireland coach, Brian Ashton.

In focusing on the Six Nations countries, Wales's candidacy to do well in the World Cup is hard to resist. They host a pool in their own backyard and should manage to subdue the might of Fiji, Canada and Japan and might even have the measure of an Australian side with whom they drew in November.

Ireland must win Pool D to avoid a quarter-final against the All Blacks. It is not beyond this current crop of players.

Yes indeed, the months ahead are likely to see an increased demand among rugby types for those excellent language classes at the Alliance Française in Dublin's Kildare Street,

Of course 2007 is also a huge year for several other elite Irish. Derval O'Rourke is an obvious example.

The Cork hurdler - an absolute travesty she didn't win the RTÉ Sports Person of the Year award - travels to Osaka for the World Athletics Championships hoping to continue her successful accumulation of silverware on a global scale.

Before that she'll head for Birmingham and the European Indoors.

The Republic of Ireland soccer team will continue its European Championship qualification campaign more in hope than expectation. Manager Steve Staunton's Christmas wish list is unlikely to be realised and if we can offer him a New Year resolution, it is that he sprinkle his post-match ruminations with an honest appraisal of the preceding 90 minutes.

Protecting his players is one thing; treating the Irish public as imbeciles could speed the arrival of the dreaded P45. He deserves a chance but it's as much about earning it. This Ireland team is short on quality so compensation must be found elsewhere.

Arsenal chase Liverpool, who pursue Chelsea, who cling to the coat-tails of Manchester United in the Premiership.

In Europe the race to succeed Barcelona as Champions League kingpins gathers pace as the usual suspects mill around: Bayern Munich to be outed as European football's Kaiser Sose.

The wedding menu, aka Beef or Salmon, is unlikely to head for Cheltenham, where the outcome of the Gold Cup is likely to be disputed by the favourite, Kauto Star, and the 2006 champion, the Michael O'Leary-owned War of Attrition. There may be only one Star in the sky that day in March.

Irish punters will be looking to Brave Inca in the Champion Hurdle.

The Aintree Grand National is likely to produce a distinctly Irish spat between the 2006 and 2005 winners, Numbersixvalverde and Hedgehunter. The former, trained by Clare's Martin Brassil and ridden by Niall "Slippers" Madden, enjoyed a gentle seasonal opener over hurdles at Leopardstown recently, easing himself around in fourth place. The Willie Mullins-trained Hedgehunter is likely to split the Irish support.

The flat season's highlight is likely to throw together yet again Aidan O'Brien's Holy Roman Emperor and Jim Bolger's Teofilo, named after the great Cuban heavyweight boxer and three-time Olympic gold medallist, Teófilo Stevenson. Teofilo, unbeaten in five races including two Group Ones, leads the duel 2-0.

The pair will clash in the 2000 Guineas while Teofilo will be looking to add Derby success or maybe become the first horse since Nijinsky in 1970 to win the Triple Crown (St Leger).

Sales of Rastafarian wigs in Dublin are likely to be brisk in preparation for Ireland's presence at the Cricket World Cup. The Irish will be based in Jamaica and included in their group are the hosts, the West Indies. A repeat of Sion Mills is unlikely.

Who can dethrone Kerry and Kilkenny in football and hurling? The candidates will be familiar, with a couple of managers fated to "step down" if one of Sam or Liam fails to make the cabinet.

In golf, Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley will be driven by Major ambitions while Rory McIlroy has Walker Cup ambitions.

Clare Coughlan and Martina Gillen join Rebecca Coakley on the Ladies European Tour.

The British Open returns to Carnoustie, where Jean van de Velde emphatically proved in 1999 he could not walk on water. He needed a double-bogey six to win but took seven and lost a play-off that included the eventual champion, Paul Lawrie.

There is many a slip twixt lip and cup. Just as well. That delicious uncertainty is what will make the 2007 sporting year utterly compelling.

World Cup 2007: French Host Cities

BORDEAUX

Stadium: Chaban Delmas

Capacity: 34,327

The lowdown: Ireland will play two matches, against Namibia and Georgia, in one of France's most celebrated wine centres, which is served by the Aeroport de Bordeaux Merignac, eight kilometres from the city. Those hoping to watch all Ireland's pool matches will be delighted to learn it's possible to take the TGV from Gare St-Jean and be in Paris in less than three hours.

Did you know: Bordeaux is a university city with 70,000 students and a third of the population are under 25 years of age.

LENS

Stadium: Felix Bollaert

Capacity: 41,810

The lowdown: The smallest host city, with just over 35,000 residents, Ireland will recall the heartbreak of losing here to Argentina in the 1999 tournament and will be glad it's not on the itinerary this time.

Served by the airport at Lille-Lesquin about 20 miles away, the town is close to the TGV stop of Lille and also the port of Calais.

Did you know: A few months after the 2007 Rugby World Cup, Lens will witness the opening of the Louvre 11 in 2008. An annex to its famous sibling in Paris, it is expected to attract 500,000 visitors a year.

LYON

Stadium: Gerland

Capacity: 41,184

The lowdown: The gastronomic capital of France, Lyon is served by Saint Exupery international airport (€35 to city centre) and the Part Dieu train station that provides a TGV rail link with Paris and Lille in the north and Marseilles and Montpellier in the south.

Did you know: Lyon is famous for Guignol, the French equivalent of Punch and Judy, and is home to the legendary French chef Paul Bocuse.

MONTPELLIER

Stadium: La Mosson

Capacity: 31,250

The lowdown: The city is served by Montpellier Mediterranee airport in the suburb of Mauguio, about a 20-minute bus ride from the centre. Montpellier's main train station is St Roch, where it's possible to grab a TGV connection to Paris (3hr 15m), Lille (4hr 50m) and Lyon (1hr 40m).

Did you know: Montpellier was voted the most sporty city in France (1997) in a poll conducted by L'Équipe.

MARSEILLES

Stadium: Veledrome

Capacity: 60,031

The lowdown: Cosmopolitan port in the south of France, just three hours from Paris by TGV, which arrives into Gare Saint Charles. The city is served by the Aeroport de Marseilles Provence.

Did you know: The Veledrome's stands are named after local heroes: Jean Bouin, the great 1,500-metre runner and 1908 Olympian, and Nicolas Roze (le Chevalier Roze) a hero of the fight against the plague in 1720.

NANTES

Stadium: La Beaujoire

Capacity: 38,486

The lowdown: It's possible to fly with Aer Arann and Ryanair to Aeroport Atlantique in Nantes before heading off on a 30-minute journey to the centre of the city. There is a TGV link with Paris, Lyon and Marseilles. The stadium was built in 1984 next door to the old one, Marcel Saupin, which still stands unused.

Did you know: the French rugby team has won five matches at this venue including beating New Zealand and Argentina, twice.

PARIS

Stadium: Parc des Princes

Capacity: 48,712

The lowdown: Across the road from the home of Stade Français (Jean Bouin) and the former Test arena for French rugby. Stade occasionally play some of their bigger Heineken European Cup matches here. Also the home of the soccer club Paris St-Germain.

Did you know: Ireland have never won a Five Nations match at the venue.

PARIS (Saint-Denis)

Stadium: Stade de France

Capacity: 79,959

The lowdown: Inspired by Zinedine Zidane, France won the soccer World Cup in 1998 and their rugby brethren would dearly like to emulate them. Ireland play France here. The suburb of Saint-Denis is also famous for the basilica, one of the great masterpieces of gothic art.

Did you know: The roof of the Stade de France covers six hectares and is illuminated for evening matches.

SAINT-ETIENNE

Stadium: Geoffroy-Guichard

Capacity: 35,616

The lowdown: The city is 40 miles southwest of Lyon. The stadium was built in 1931 by the man who gave it its name. It underwent its first major refurbishment in 1968.

Did you know: The city is renowned as a manufacturing centre for munitions and bicycles.

TOULOUSE

Stadium: Stade Municipal

Capacity: 36,369

The lowdown: Home of Trevor Brennan and his De Danu pub, which is sure to enjoy plenty of custom during the tournament. A university city, it has a cracking atmosphere and a super climate and is easy to negotiate. Served by Blagnac airport (six miles), where the Airbuses are assembled.

Did you know: The trick of the light reflecting off the brickwork helped to give this city its nickname, la ville rose (the pink city).

• Matches will also be played in Cardiff and Edinburgh.

TICKETS

Released on a phased basis with more due to be available in the coming months. Outside of buying packages from travel agents or specialist ticketing websites that cater for major sporting events, the best advice is to monitor the following websites: www.rugbyworldcup.com, www.france2007.com, www.ticketmaster.co.uk.

The cheapest seats at Ireland's two games in Bordeaux start at €45 while for the game between France and Ireland at Stade de France in Paris prices range from €65 to 270 per ticket. When The Irish Timestried to purchase tickets online for the latter match none were available, but the indication was that more would be released soon. It is also possible to indicate an interest in buying tickets for the four quarter-finals.

TRAVEL

For those hoping to fly from Dublin, scouring the following websites should beneficial: www.aerlingus.com (Aer Lingus fly to Bordeaux, Edinburgh, Lyon, Marseilles, Paris, Toulouse), www.ryanair.com (Ryanair fly to Biarritz, Carcassonne, Edinburgh, Marseilles, Nantes), www.aerarann.com (Aer Arann fly to Cardiff from Dublin and to Nantes from Cork).

The rail network in France is excellent, making it easy to travel between the venues with many of the host cities linked by a train à grande vitesse (TGV), which can clip along at 186mph. Those looking to book train tickets may find the following websites useful: www.raileurope.com, www.tgv.com, www.tgv.co.uk, www.eurostar.com.

- compiled by JOHN O'SULLIVAN