Ireland will be out to prove the doubters wrong when they meet Tonga in their opening World Cup Pool Three clash at Parramatta Stadium tomorrow night.
Wolfhounds coach Andy Kelly says his side has not been accorded the respect they deserve since arriving in Australia 10 days ago, with most of the interest centred on group rivals Tonga and Samoa.
He sadi: 'We've been written off by most people over here.
'No-one considers us having a chance of making the semi-final play-off, let alone the semi-finals themselves.
'But I think that will only serve to spur the guys on. As I've said from day one, we're not here to clown around, we're here to perform and our aim is to make it through to the final four.'
The sentiment is shared by Wakefield winger Damien Blanch, who believes the Irish can improve on their record in the 2000 World Cup in which they reached the quarter-finals after topping their group.
Blanch said: ‘We're all a bit tired of getting put down as a team that's just here to fill another spot in our pool.
‘We're not treating this as a holiday and we believe we're more than capable of topping our group.
‘If we're travelling under the radar at the moment, then all the better.’
Kelly said while the ‘super group’ was carrying the pool-of-death tag, the same could be said of Ireland's group.
He said: ‘There's a formidable look about this group but it's a challenge we've known about for some time now and we're looking forward to it.
‘Tonga and Samoa are both big physical sides, but to reach the semi-finals they'll have to beat us.
‘There will be a big green wall there waiting for them. We think we've got the players and the gameplan to beat both those sides.’
The only player not considered for selection for the Tonga game was stand-off Graham Holroyd, who has a knee injury, but the coaching staff are confident he will be back in training by the end of the week.
Tonga are hoping for a late selection boost when the New South Wales supreme court deliver their verdict on Monday morning on their bid to overturn a ruling by the International Federation denying them the services of forwards Fuifui Moimoi and Taniela Tuiaki.
