Corcoran speaks of 'bad blood' with Lebanon ahead of crucial World Cup clash

Ireland head coach Ged Corcoran has accused Lebanon of desperation over their attempts to free up stand-off Adam Doueihi for Sunday's crunch clash in Leigh and has spoken of the "bad blood" between the two nations.

Doueihi was sent off for using foul or abusive language to referee Grant Atkins during his side's opening 34-12 defeat by New Zealand in Warrington last Sunday and was subsequently given a one-match penalty notice by the tournament's match review panel.

Lebanon opted to contest the charge and, after it was upheld at a hearing on Wednesday, their appeal was rejected 48 hours later by a separate judiciary panel, on which sat former Great Britain internationals Alan Hunte and Adrian Morley.

"For them to invest as much energy as they have must mean they are desperate," Corcoran said.

"There's a lot of animosity between us and Lebanon, even way back to when I played in 2007 in our qualifier when we pipped them at Dewsbury.

"There was a lot of bad blood before the game, a lot of bad blood in the game and then obviously it spilled over after the game.

"They're desperate, it's their Grand Final. They competed with New Zealand but they're desperate to get to the quarters.

"The best team on the day will win."

Ireland booked their place at the 2008 World Cup thanks to that 18-18 draw with Lebanon in a match that was played at Dewsbury because of the volatile situation in the Middle East.

Sunday's second round Group C fixture is also shaping up as a crucial clash, with the winners almost certain to qualify for the last eight with a second consecutive win.

Corcoran's team will go into the game with confidence following their opening 48-2 victory over Jamaica at Headingley.

"We have to get to that quarter-final to keep exceeding our