Soccer: All Whites plan to live up to 'bruisers' tag

All Whites defender Ben Sigmund is taking a physical approach into Saturday’s World Cup qualifier. Photo / Getty Images

If the All Whites are supposed to be offended by the remark, Ben Sigmund certainly doesn't show it.

A report in the Gulf Weekly newspaper raised the spectre of what awaits the Bahrain side in Saturday night's winner-take-all World Cup playoff in Wellington. It wasn't strictly accurate, particularly in relation to the Westpac Stadium pitch, but it wasn't altogether untrue.

"The game will be played in gusting winds, on a boggy pitch against a bunch of bruisers who want to stamp their authority on the tie," the report read.

"Bruisers, I haven't heard that one before," Sigmund said yesterday. "If they are going to sit there and talk about bruisers, we'll just have to go out there and bruise them, I suppose."

Sigmund will be one of the leading candidates for the job and he's bound to look to impose himself physically on the game. The centre-back's strength is his whole-hearted, bustling approach and he didn't take long to let an Iraqi striker know of his intentions at June's Confederations Cup after he missed the first two games through injury.

New Zealand will surely adopt a physical approach on Saturday - it's how All Whites teams of the past have made up for any technical shortcomings - in the hope of unsettling the visitors. But the comment is part of what is developing into a fascinating battle of mindgames.

The All Whites have questioned Bahrain's approach, which has seen them prepare in Sydney for four days before touching down in Wellington later today.

The temperature barely touched double figures in the cold, southerly blast that hit the capital yesterday while it was in the mid-20s in Sydney's sunshine. There's a hope among the players it will remain bleak and bitter with striker Shane Smeltz admitting he was struggling to acclimatise to Wellington again after six months with the Gold Coast.

"The weather here now, the wind and the rain, is nothing like Australia at the moment," Smeltz said yesterday. "That's all in our favour."

Bahrain coach Milan Macala dismissed the significance of the weather, saying it was easier for footballers to play in the cold because they "soon warm up".

Regardless, Bahrain will still assume slight favouritism because of their technical superiority and higher world ranking but they are under huge pressure to qualify - probably more than New Zealand. The country expects and anything short of a spot in South Africa will be unacceptable.

"It's important to score first," striker Chris Killen said. "If we can get an early goal, and with the home crowd behind us, they could crumble and that's what we are planning to do."

A sell-out crowd of more than 35,000 is expected at the Cake Tin, a record for a football match in New Zealand, and Wellingtonians are being encouraged to wear white to create a `whiteout' at the game.

"It would be great to see everyone wearing white and then send the shits up them," Sigmund said candidly. "When you walk out of that tunnel, the crowd is going to take you for the ride. We play here with the Phoenix and there are 8000 there and if you're feeling a bit flat, they pick you up because of the way they are and the way they sing. But to have 35,000, I honestly can't wait."

- HERALD ON SUNDAY