Hockey: Ireland's Senior Men To Face France In 2 Match Series In Dublin

The Green Machine will face France in a 2 match series on March 1st (7pm) and 2nd (6pm) in Rathdown School. The match series will be the first chance of 2016 to see Ireland men's hockey team in action as they continue their preparation for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

France, ranked 17th in the world, are a notoriously tricky side to face and the last time the two teams met the men in green edged the tie with a 4-3 victory. That 4-3 victory came in the opening match of the 2015 Eurohockey Championships where Ireland went on to claim Bronze medals for the first time in history. But the two sides have always enjoyed tight battles and Ireland will be looking to turn the tide in this home series; the last 2-match series saw the teams meet in Lille in May where France snatched the series with a 1-0 victory and a 3-3 draw.

Speaking about the upcoming series head coach Craig Fulton said "We look forward to playing France in Dublin a month after our warm weather camp in South Africa. France are a very attacking team and we enjoy playing against them, and it will be a good challenge for us playing at home. We looking to build on all we did in South Africa and reach the same, if not a higher, level of performance in the next two games"

This two match series is the ideal opportunity to see Ireland's Olympic hockey team and meet the players in post-match autograph signings. Come along and support the Green Machine!