Irish rugby teams have not always felt comfortable burdened by the mantle of favouritism. You can take nothing for granted in the international rugby arena. Nonetheless it is a reasonable expectation that when Ireland and Georgia meet in the World Cup European qualifying match at Lansdowne Road tomorrow week, Ireland will win. That being the case it will mean a first international victory for the Ireland management team of Donal Lenihan, Warren Gatland and Philip Danaher.

Georgia are hardly a powerful international force, but the match has appeal. It will be the first meeting of the two countries in international rugby and it will also be the first World Cup qualifying match for Ireland. In the previous three World Cups Ireland did not have to play in the qualifying stages. They got into the finals in 1987 as one of the eight top nations, they got into the finals in 1991 and 1995 having been quarter-finalists in the two previous competitions. This time only the 1995 finalists (South Africa and New Zealand), the team that finished third in 1995 (France), and Wales (as the host nation) are exempt from the qualifying process. This means that England, Scotland, Ireland and indeed Australia are not exempt.

Australia have already qualified at the top of their group, England, Ireland and Scotland get on with the business of qualification over the coming weeks. Romania, whom Ireland will meet in a fortnight, have of course played Ireland on three occasions in the past, all at at Lansdowne Road. The first match in 1980 was a 13-13 tie. In 1986 Ireland won by 60-0, a record at the time, and the most recent meeting was in 1993 when Ireland won 25-3. Only three members of the current Ireland World Cup squad survive from that match. They are team captain Paddy Johns, Mick Galwey and Eric Elwood.

Romania won their Europe round B qualifying group easily to get to the current round C stage. Georgia had a more difficult road. Georgia beat Denmark 19-8, lost to Italy 31-14 and then in the "crunch " match between two countries from the old Soviet block defeated Russia 12-6. The rivalry between Georgia and Russia was understandably intense. Georgia finished runners-up in their group and so qualified for round C.

The winner of Ireland's group will go into the finals in the group for which Australia and the United States have already qualified. The fourth team in that pool will come from the runners-up in the qualifying groups. One man who will not have any part to play in the qualifying matches is hooker Keith Wood. That is his great loss. His decision not to sign the contract that 86 other players have signed meant his exclusion from the World Cup panel.

He has a perfect right not to sign the contract. The Ireland team management has an equally perfect right and also a responsibility not to select him. Indeed they could not do so without his signature on the contract. I must say I find some of the comments that Wood has made contradictory. But Irish rugby will get by without him. Wood is a quality player, but so too is Ross Nesdale. I find Wood's attitude sad to say the least and some of his comments calculated to mislead. But I believe, too, that when reality and objectivity dawn upon him that we will see him reverse his decision. That of course is up to him.

The ultimate honour for any Irish rugby player is to wear the national jersey. Those who have worn it through the years are a very special group of people, whether they won one cap or 50. They represent a tiny minority of the tens of thousands who have played the game in this country through the years. The vast majority of those who played for Ireland in the past neither got nor sought financial reward. Their reward was the honour of playing for Ireland, a singular distinction that sets them apart from the rest of us.

We are now in a professional era and so the players get well paid for playing at international level and that is right and proper in the current climate. But there is an amount of misinformation being propagated in relation to the Irish contracts and the earning capacity of the players. The reality is that under the present system the players can earn appreciably more this season than in the past. Last season players were given contracts and some of them could not get into the Ireland A side.

Now the contracts are incentive based - and so they should be. The decision to change the system was not so the IRFU could save a shilling here and another there, the decision to alter the system was at the specific request and recommendation of the Ireland management because they believe that this is in the best interests of the Ireland team. And they are correct.

For instance if the Ireland team manages to win say even four of the eight matches that they will play this season, and that includes the matches against Georgia, Romania and Italy, then the players will earn £8,000 more than they did last season. More success will mean more money.

Wood has said that he would play for Ireland for nothing. By saying that he is, in effect, saying that you cannot put a price on playing for your country. But by his actions he has put a price on playing for Ireland, what he sees as a restriction on his so-called "intellectual rights".

It costs millions to put the Ireland team in the field and the team sponsors contribute significantly to that cost. All the players are asked to do is make three appearances each year. Not three for each sponsor, three between the five. Nor does the contract preclude players from earning money by exercising their " intellectual rights" as Wood well knows. The contracts impose very few restrictions and the sponsors are not very demanding. But just as players have rights so have sponsors. Has Wood been badly advised or does he really consider himself a cut above the rest?

Wood is a product of Munster rugby and last season insulted his native province in a manner without precedent. I cannot think of any other player who has played for his province and who has then gone and offered such deplorable offence. He can now go ahead and profit from his "intellectual rights" - but without the Ireland jersey. So can his former Harlequins team-mate Will Carling, yesterday's hero with feet of clay. The higher the profile the bigger the fall.

Keith would do well to learn the lesson that Carling has had to endure. The public mind may at times be a vague and fickle force, but you underestimate the people's perception and intelligence at your peril. As Carling now knows they can be fairly perceptive in exercising their intellectual rights.