HOCKEY: Ireland have been using their full technical back-up as they prepare for their clash with Japan in the World Cup eliminator at Changzhou this morning (7am Irish time).

No matter what the outcome, the Irish have boosted their world ranking by making it into the top eight, ahead of nations such as Canada and Malaysia.

However, there has been no time for self congratulation as the possibility of making it into the elite field of 12 in Munchengladbach next September remains very much live.

The format of the competition dictates that the winners of today's Ireland v Japan fixture will take on whoever comes through the European derby between Belgium and France for the one remaining slot in Germany. Coach Dave Passmore's assistants, Denis Pritchard and Craig Fulton, have spent long hours studying video footage of today's opponents since the pairing was confirmed.

The evidence suggests that Japan are super fit and very well disciplined. They also have an effective corner taker in Takahiko Yamabori, who scored in four of their five matches in Pool A.

In contrast, Ireland have laboured at the set-pieces, a problem that came close to scuppering their progress to the crossovers. However, there was a strong hint that the problem was well on the way to being resolved in the manner in which Stephen Butler executed his second goal against Pakistan.

It may have been significant that Butler's Glenanne club colleague Graham Shaw pushed out the ball on that occasion, replacing veteran defender Jason Black in the role.

In any event, the extraction of a point from Pakistan has given the Irish players and their supporters a huge lift in morale.

"Now we are beginning to prove that being in the top 12 in the world is not a pipe dream for Ireland and we still have a chance of going to Germany," said Passmore. He is still dealing from the same full deck of 18 players that he started with nine days ago and all of them have enjoyed some pitch time already during the campaign.

Timmy Cockram was left out on Wednesday, in part as a precautionary measure in the wake of the throat injury picked up against Egypt on Monday, but is ready to go again.

The coach has not been afraid to drop big-name players such as Justin Sherriff who played no part against Egypt. He has also discovered a new ploy in keeping Butler out of the action in the early stages of a match and then unleashing him in the forward line rather than in his customary midfield position.

The tactic paid off handsomely against Pakistan, who were picking the ball out of their net three minutes after Butler's delayed entry.