Robbie Keane has challenged his team-mates to write themselves into national folklore by making it to next summer's World Cup finals in South Africa.

The Republic of Ireland captain freely admits his side simply cannot compete with Raymond Domenech's star-studded side for individual brilliance.

However, he is certain their collective determination and their desperation to write another chapter in their football history can see them through.

Keane said: "The importance of the game and what's at the end of it is massive for everyone associated with it. There are players who have never been in this situation before, players who play in the Championship who may never have the opportunity they have now.

"Hopefully they will, but possibly never again, you just never know in football. It's important we enjoy the occasion, but it's more important that we do ourselves justice.

"Of course, they have players who have played in the Champions League. If you look on paper at the players they have, they have got world-class players all over the pitch and they are fortunate enough to be able to leave players like Patrick Vieira out of the squad.

"We just can't do that, that's the gulf between the two nations.

"But the one thing we do have is desire and commitment, and a team that's desperate to do well and desperate to get to South Africa."

Keane is well placed to assess the power of the France squad having seen many of their biggest names at close quarters in the Premier League and in Europe.

But he admits he cannot single out one man as the biggest threat to his country's hopes. He said: "It would be a bit harsh to name one because they have so many players.

"If you look at people like Anelka, at the moment in the Premier League, he is flying and doing really well with Chelsea. And also Henry - I have been lucky enough to play against him many, many times, and he is obviously a world-class player who is doing fantastically well, so it's very hard to pinpoint just one player.

"We have to be wary of a lot of their players, and I am sure we will be. They are obviously the favourites, there's no question about that, but I don't think they are coming over here expecting an easy game by any stretch of the imagination.

"The players they have, a lot of them have played in the Premier League, so they know a lot of the players anyway, so they know it is not going to be an easy game - and they would be wrong if they did think that.

"But we are not too worried what they think, it's about what we do. We have to concentrate of focus on everything we do as a group."