World No. 1 Australia were quietly confident as they began their World Cup campaign here with a 2-1 win over Ireland in a league match. The Irish may have rattled the Aussies in parts but the defending champions looked good for extended periods, even stamping their class on the game occasionally, like during the first goal.

Blake Govers stepped up to take their first penalty corner in the 10th minute but just as the ball was injected, he swapped places with Jeremy Hayward, who was standing right next to him, leaving the Irish defence stunned by the move. Hayward flicked hard and the ball struck an Irish foot, resulting in a second penalty corner. This time, Govers didn't swap places and took the drag flick himself beating Irish goalkeeper David Harte all ends up.