Men's Hockey: Ireland are ranked ninth in Europe and 23rd in the world as hockey's world governing body, the FIH, launched its first official hockey world rankings this week.
Having finished ninth at the recent European Championships in Barcelona, Ireland hold that position for their continental ranking, while the calculation for their world rating comes to 200 points, or, 23rd.
It is a disappointing mark but one that comes as no surprise as more well-resourced nations come into the sport. However, it also disturbingly marks a point quite some distance from where Ireland used to be placed at world level. The Irish team qualified for the 1978 World Cup in Buenos Aires and came 12th and again earned a place in the 1990 World Cup in Lahore, Pakistan, again finishing 12th.
But since Lahore, Ireland has missed out in World Cup events in Sydney 1994, Holland in 1998 and Kuala Lumpur in 2002, and so their ranking has dropped. A higher placing in Barcelona in September could have pushed the side further up the ladder.
In future, comparisons of relative strengths of national teams will be published at the end of major tournaments such as the Olympic Games, World Cups, Champions Trophies and Challenges and the European Championships. The methodology for the calculation is based on final rankings of teams at these events as well as the qualifying events for them. According to the FIH, the ranking system reflects current and past performances but results from the past will be progressively less weighted year by year (25 per cent discount per year over a four-year cycle) until they are deleted from the calculations.
The system ensures, as far as rankings are concerned, success at a tournament, even the Olympic Games or World Cup, will not be sufficient to make up for poor form in the preceding three to four years, and vice versa. It is intended the ranking system will accurately reflect a team's performance over a four-year cycle.
Meanwhile, in Leinster two goals from Pembroke at Serpentine Avenue against Glenanne ensured they stayed top of Division One. Corinthians, who hit five against Railway Union, stay right on Pembroke's shoulders, They equal the leaders 13 points, with only goal difference separating the teams.
