Ireland concluded their South African tour with a pair of losses against world number five side Belgium, falling 3-0 on Saturday and 7-2 on Sunday in Cape Town.
It completed a hectic tour, playing six games in eight days to start a big year with the pursuit of a first ever Olympic qualification the goal. The first phase of that begins later this month in San Diego at World League round two.
The Belgians, though, showed the gap between 14th-ranked Ireland and the elite level teams. On Saturday, they secured the 3-0 result despite a strong Irish second half showing.
Belgium also raced into a 4-1 lead at half-time in the other game – Alan Sothern on the mark for Ireland – and remained well clear in the second half despite Chris Cargo's sharp finish.
The tour gives coach Craig Fulton plenty of food for thought after a gruelling schedule in hot conditions, using 22 players from which 18 will go to San Diego. The opposition there will be more accommodating than this week's opponents, with Ireland the top seedsand needing a top three finish to advance.
Leinster league
On home turf, Monkstown moved close to the Leinster league title with a 6-3 win over Railway Union at Park Avenue, racing clear in the second half after the hosts had caused plenty of problems early on.
They remain four points clear of Pembroke with four games to go. Pembroke beat UCD 3-1 with
Maurice Elliott
,
Cillian Hynes
and
Nick Burns
on the mark, while Three Rock Rovers are two points further back thanks to their 2-0 win over Corinthian. YMCA moved up to fifth with a 9-1 win over Avoca.
Details in SPORTS ROUND-UP
