Ireland will line out at La Baule in France on Sunday as second of eight teams competing for the French Nations Cup.

Following their second place in the opening leg of the current European series at Samorin in Slovakia, Ireland will be hoping to keep the valuable points mounting with a top three finish at what has always been a favourable venue for them.

Irish Chef d’Equipe Rodrigo Pessoa has named his team, who will jump in the following order:

Shane Sweetnam with Indra Van De Oude Heihoef 

Mark McAuley with Utchan De Belheme 

Paul O’Shea with Skara Glen’s Machu Picchu 

Cameron Hanley with Quirex 

Other teams hoping to gain Longines FEI Nations Cup points at La Baule are Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Switzerland and France, while Canada and Brazil will also compete, though are not eligible for points.

As a mark of respect to former Chef d’Equipe Tommy Wade, who passed away at the age of 80 last week, the Irish quartet will all appear in the La Baule arena wearing black armbands.

Following the French Nations Cup, the Irish teams will have three venues remaining at which they can score 2018 points – Falsterbo in Sweden, Hickstead in England, and the home venue of Dublin Horse Show, where the Aga Khan trophy is also up for grabs.

The Nations Cup at La Baule is scheduled to begin at noon Irish time, and will be available to watch as subscriber livestream on www.feitv.org. Regular scores and updates will also be available on We Live Horse’s Facebook page.

-Jack Burns