The Rio 2016 runners-up were in commanding form once again as they cemented their place at the top of Pool B with a comfortable win at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Tom Boon was the star of the show for the Belgians as he netted a hat-trick to inspire his side to victory.

Ireland broke the deadlock in the 13th minute through Stephen Cole but it proved to be a fleeting moment of success for the Irish side as Belgium took control.

Simon Gougnard equalised four minutes after Belgium fell behind, before Cedric Charlier and Boon stretched the lead to 3-1 at the break.

A second-half strike from Loick Luypaert and two goals from Boon gave the scoreline a resounding feel, with Alan Sothern adding a consolation in the final few minutes. 

In the other match to take place in Pool B, Germany also picked up their second victory of the tournament as they inflicted another heavy defeat on Egypt with a 5-0 win.

Despite the relatively straightforward nature of the contest for Germany, they had to wait until the 23rd minute to take the lead as Marco Miltkau put his side in front.

Tom Grambusch added a second quickly after before Dieter-Enrique Linnekogel put the match beyond the hapless Egyptian side.

Jonas Gomoll and Timm Herzbruch both got their names on the scoresheet late on to put the gloss on another confident performance by the German team.

Australia surged to the summit of Pool A, above rivals New Zealand, as they fought back from two goals down to beat France 3-2.

Victor Charlet and Pieter van Straaten had given France a 2-0 lead before Australia turned the match on its head.

Jake Whetton and Josh Pollard restored parity for the Australians, allowing Mark Knowles to score the match-winning goal seven minutes from time.

New Zealand recorded their first win of the event in the South African city, ousting Japan 3-1.

Action in the women's tournament takes centre stage when the event resumes tomorrow.