Hockey: Cup blow for Black Sticks

Tara Drysdale (left) is aiming to add to her 80 internationals in Rome. Picture / Reuters

New Zealand will be without their best defender and a top midfielder when they kick off their World Cup qualifying tournament in Rome this month.

North Harbour's classy Lizzy Igasan is unavailable for the 12-team event and experienced Canterbury midfielder Michelle Hollands yesterday retired from all hockey.

Four players have been added to the remainder of the squad who finished fourth at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, and all have international experience.

Midfielder Tara Drysdale has played 80 internationals; Auckland striker Lizzie Ryan, who has 13 caps, is back after being part of the team who won the Champions Challenge in the United States last year; and Cantabrians Kate Saunders and Bridget Kight , who have 11 and four caps respectively, win recalls.

The top five teams qualify for the World Cup in Madrid in September. Purely on rankings, New Zealand should bolt in. They are sixth in the world and grouped with Korea (No 7), United States (12), Ireland (13), Azerbaijan (19) and Italy (20).

They have avoided the tougher pool A, which comprises three teams in the top 10 - China (5), Japan (8) and England (9) - along with Ukraine (15), Scotland (17) and France (21).

Coach Ian Rutledge is confident his players will ignore rankings. They've seen other teams trip up in the past through over-confidence, notably Britain who, despite a good ranking, missed out on the Athens Olympics two years ago after a disastrous qualifying tournament at Auckland's Lloyd Elsmore Park.

And he's happy to get his players back on the field smartly after the disappointment of missing a medal in Melbourne last month.

"This provides an opportunity for us to move on," Rutledge said.

"There's nothing worse than waiting round for a long period of time to get out there and put those things past you."

New Zealand have three lead-up games in their 10 days in Rome, against England, Scotland and China.

Their opening pool game is against Azerbaijan on April 25.

* North Harbour pair Lloyd Stephenson and Shaun Barnett have been included in the New Zealand men's team for their equivalent tournament in China, starting next Wednesday. They join the 16 players who finished fifth at the Commonwealth Games.

New Zealand, ranked No 9, are grouped with Korea ( 7), Malaysia (13), Japan (14), France (18) and the hosts, who are No 21. They should comfortably make the semifinals, which will ensure a spot in the World Cup at Munich in September. As with the women, the top five qualify.

BLACK STICKS TEAMS FOR WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS

Women's team

World Cup qualifier, in Rome, from April 25:

Goalkeepers: Beth Jurgeleit (Wellington), Anita Wawatai (Central). Defenders: Di Weavers (Midlands), Emily Naylor (Central), Bridget Kight (Canterbury), Kate Mahon (North Harbour), Clarissa Eshuis (Canterbury). Midfielders: Suzie Muirhead (capt, Wellington), Tara Drysdale (Central), Stacey Carr (Canterbury), Frances Kreft (Auckland), Jane Maley (Canterbury). Strikers: Honor Dillon (Canterbury), Lizzie Ryan (Auckland, pictured), Charlotte Harrison (Northland), Kayla Sharland (Central), Krystal Forgesson (Auckland). Utility: Kate Saunders (Canterbury).

Men's team

World Cup qualifier in Changzhou, China, April 12:

Goalkeepers: Paul Woolford (Auckland), Kyle Pontifex (Wellington)

Defenders: Dean Couzins (Auckland), Bradley Shaw (Canterbury), Hayden Shaw (Canterbury), James Nation (Wellington), Shea McAleese (Canterbury).

Midfielders: Ryan Archibald (capt, Auckland), Blair Hopping (North Harbour), Darren Smith (North Harbour), Bryce Collins (North Harbour), Ben Collier (North Harbour), Lloyd Stephenson (North Harbour), Shaun Barnett (North Harbour). Strikers: Phil Burrows (Wellington), Simon Child (Auckland), Bevan Hari (Auckland), Gareth Brooks (Auckland).