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Men’s World Cup: Australia 3 (Rintala 7, 23, Govers 27) Ireland 1 (Empey 54) Ireland’s men’s first World Cup campaign in eight years opened with a 3-1 defeat by Australia in Belgium on Sunday morning, but they’ll take no little heart from a stirring second-half display against the world’s fourth ranked team. Australia took the lead in the seventh minute from the first penalty corner of the game, Irish goalkeeper Jaime Carr unfortunate to see Joel Rintala’s effort deflect in off his back after it had hit his right post. The contest was as good as over after two more Australian goals in the space of four second-quarter minutes, both also from penalty corners. Rintala got his second of the game with a bullet of a strike in to the bottom-right corner before Blake Govers’ shot deflected past Carr. It was one-way traffic by then, Ireland hardly helping their cause by giving up possession too cheaply, but just when it looked like they might be heading for a more serious drubbing, they steadied the ship. If it wasn’t for Australian goalkeeper Ashleigh Thomas, Ireland might actually have taken something from the game. READ MORE Ireland were much improved in the third quarter, captain Kyle Marshall’s composure at and supply from the back a major factor in their revival. It was in the final period that they began peppering Thomas’s goal, Luke Witherow the first to be thwarted from close range. With six minutes to go, Alistair Empey pulled a goal when he got on the end of their second penalty corner of the game, but Thomas proceeded to pull off a string of point-blank saves, Louis Rowe among those denied from a thunderous volley. And to cap it all, Lee Cole hit the right post from a penalty corner. No points then, but if they can repeat that second-half display against South Africa on Tuesday and Spain on Thursday, then they’ll have every chance of a top two finish in the group – the requirement if there is to be any chance of progressing to the semi-finals. IRELAND: J Carr, J McKee, K Marshall (capt), S Murray, P McKibbin, J Duncan, B Walker, J Lynch, L Cole, L Rowe, F Gibson. Subs: L Roleston, L Witherow, M Nelson, M McNellis, G Williams, P Brown, A Empey.