HOCKEY:Irish coach Dave Passmore has described the draw for February's Olympic Qualifier in Auckland, which has put Ireland in a line-up that includes Argentina, New Zealand and France, as "challenging but not insurmountable", writes Mary Hannigan.

All three teams are ranked above Ireland, with Trinidad and Tobago and Cuba completing the draw, with only the winners of the tournament going through to the Olympic Games.

"Obviously playing New Zealand on home soil presents a big challenge, as will the style, speed and counter-attack of the Argentinian team, but we showed against England, Spain and Holland that we can compete with the top teams," he said.

Passmore plans to take the team to a four-nations tournament in Chile before Christmas, where Argentina are likely to be in the line-up.