Hockey: Black Sticks draw with Ireland

The Black Sticks women's hockey team has been held to a nil-all draw by Ireland at the World Cup qualifying tournament in Rome.

New Zealand had penalty corner chances through the game but could not convert.

New Zealand coach Ian Rutledge says they must win their final two matches, which is achievable based on the match against Ireland.

He says the performance was much improved from their upset loss to the USA and the team is positive and confident they can win through to the Cup.

New Zealand can still make the semi finals, although the Black Sticks will need to win their remaining pool games and hope for other results to go their way.

The New Zealanders have four points in their pool, three behind Korea and the USA, and Rutledge believes ten points will be enough to get them through.

New Zealand's next match is against Korea on Tuesday morning, and their final match is against Italy.

Only the top two teams gain direct qualification for the Cup, while the other qualifiers will play off for one other spot.

New Zealand started the tournament with a 2-1 win over Azerbaijan, and followed that game with a 1-0 loss to the USA.

- NEWSTALK ZB