Republic of Ireland defender Richard Dunne expressed the view following Wednesday night's 3-0 defeat to Australia that his team will be much improved for the World Cup qualifier against Cyprus on September 5 in Nicosia.

The centre-back, along with his defensive colleagues, had a busy night attempting to contain Australia's strong forward line but insists pre-season rustiness may have been a factor in how the game panned out.

"We have a massive World Cup qualifier in Cyprus coming that we want to go and win, so I am sure the spirit and the attitude will be different then," he said.

"We'll be better for that match. It's inevitable as we'll have more games under our belts at club level.

"It was disappointing to lose the game but until the real stuff starts for everyone with the Premier League this weekend because it's all about sharpness. Even as the game wore on against Australia, you could see improvement in our players."

He continued: We never started in the first half. We gave it a go in the second half, but they got the goal at the end to make it look more emphatic," said Dunne.

"I thought that Sean St Ledger played well but I don't think anyone cemented their place in the team following that result. Sean did especially well though and with a few more club games under his belt before Cyprus, he'll be even better.

"No one is ever assured of their place with the international team. We have a few weeks now to impress at club level, to make things right for ourselves and make sure we are right for Cyprus".