KEY POINTS:
New Zealand were made to work hard to seal the international men's hockey series against Japan in Gifu on Wednesday night.
The Black Sticks won the third test 4-2 to give them an unassailable lead in the four-match series.
They won the first international 3-1 and drew the second 2-2. The last match is on Friday in Oyabe.
Temperatures approached 30degC as New Zealand made a strong start via Simon Child, who finished a fine move with a goal in just the seventh minute.
Japan levelled the scores 5min later when they converted from a penalty corner and were unlucky not to take the lead when they earned successive short corners, one of which rebounded off the post to safety.
Hayden Shaw and Jan Peterson then combined to produce the goal of the series for the tourists in the 27th minute.
Shaw threw a crossfield overhead into the left pocket, the bounce eluded the Japanese defender and Peterson swatted the ball from shoulder height into the goal from a tight angle.
Japan refused the back down and drew level again when they forced another penalty corner which the New Zealand defenders failed to clear before the home side scrambled a goal.
New Zealand showed a little more composure in the second half when they at last started to gain some ascendancy.
They went 3-2 ahead when a series of shots ended with the ball falling to Ben Collier, who fired in a reverse stick strike.
The final goal came after a shot from Lloyd Stephenson was saved but not cleared. The ball was then passed back across the face of goal where Phil Burrows showed strength to force it over the line.
The game was marred as a spectacle by a number of poor tackles from both sides, and the constant challenging of the umpires' decisions.
On several occasions the game was halted for a few moments, and both sides had a period where they were reduced to 10 men.
The fourth and final test is tomorrow in Oyabe.
New Zealand are using the tour to buildup for next month's Oceania Cup involving Australia and Papua New Guinea, which doubles as the region's qualifier for next year's Beijing Olympics.
New Zealand 4 (Simon Child, Jan Peterson, Ben Collier, Phil Burrows) Japan 2. Halftime: 2-2.
- NZPA
