LEGENDARY Brazilian show jumper Rodrigo Pessoa spoke of his passion for his new chef d’equipe role with Team Ireland and quickly hit the nail on the head during Wednesday’s visit to the National Sports Campus in Abbotstown when outlining a clear strategy path towards qualification for Tokyo 2020, starting with the upcoming European Championships and the 2018 World Equestrian Games.

Pessoa (45) said: “This is a new thing for me. I’m very excited about the months and years to come. The potential of riders and the quality of riders really made it a go for me and I know without them, a manager is not much. I’m really looking forward to this experience and I’m really passionate about it.”