The Irish team have been relegated from the Samsung Super League after an extremely tense competition in Barcelona this afternoon.
They will participate in the standard Nations Cup series next year.
Dogged by injuries all season, and lying at the foot of the points table most of the time, the Irish team hoped to build on an improved showing at the Dublin Horse Show.
However, the team was dealt a further injury blow when Shane Breen and World Cruise were ruled out, robbing Chef d'Equipe Robert Splaine of a pairing that had thrilled the crowd with a double clear in Dublin.
There was still hope that Ireland could provide a last gasp escape act today, as they needed just to finish comfortably ahead of relegation rivals Sweden to stay in the top flight.
The Irish challenge started off in promising style when Capt Shane Carey on Killossery produced the contest's first clear round.
At the half way point, Ireland were sharing third place and were four faults better off than the Swedes.
With the scores so tight at half way, however, any second round errors were liable to be costly, and so it proved as the Irish struggled second time out.
Despite closing with a clear round from the outstanding Cameron Hanley on SEIC Hippica Kerman, they slipped to 5th on the day, while Sweden improved in the second phase and secured 4th place, leaving the Irish pegged at foot of the league points table.
Today's winners were Germany, who also won the Samsung Super League Nations Cup series outright.
