Hockey: A simple equation for the NZ side

By DAVID LEGGAT

New Zealand are not about to change their game plan or philosophy tonight when they seek the last point they need to qualify for a place in the Olympic women's hockey tournament.

Great Britain's 1-0 win over the Ukraine last night made the Black Sticks' task straightforward: a draw against Germany at Lloyd Elsmore Park will get New Zealand to Athens.

Beat the Germans, and they will top the pool and have a confident frame of mind heading into the crossover games to decide final placings. Lose and they might still make the top two and thereby avoid the nailbiting play-off games to find the fifth and last qualifier for Athens.

But that would depend on the margin of that defeat and the Britain-Ireland result today.

The top two in each pool progress automatically to Athens, the next two play off for the fifth and final spot.

But for Black Sticks coach Ian Rutledge, there will be no special tactics tonight.

"We want to get 10 points and come first in our pool," he said. "That's our approach, that's what we're going for and, as for playing for a point, that may be the Europeans' thinking but I don't think New Zealanders think that way."

But he insisted New Zealand would need to improve "substantially" on their scrappy 3-2 victory over the Ukraine on Monday night.

"Defensively they'll be better-structured. We can't afford to let teams like Germany get the jump on us. I don't think Germany would give up a two-goal lead [as Ukraine and Britain have done against the Black Sticks]."

In the other pool A game yesterday, Germany and Ireland drew 1-1, both goals coming in the first half.

In pool B play yesterday, Spain confirmed their place in Athens with a 1-0 win over Japan, the goal coming from Luciana Lopez shortly before halftime. The United States whacked Russia 6-0 to keep alive their faint hopes of taking the direct route to the Olympics as one of the top two finishers.

The big game in the pool today is between world No 6 Korea and world No 11 Japan.

Korea must win to clinch an automatic Games spot; a draw should put them in the playoffs for the last place at Athens, unless the US pull off an upset and defeat the unbeaten Spaniards.