Hockey: Sticks and Roos draw

Jodie Kenny (behind) secured the draw for Australia with four minutes left in the match. Photo / Paul Taylor

The New Zealand women's hockey side drew 2-2 with Australia yesterday and will look to get one over their transtasman rivals in today's final of the Oceania Cup in Stratford.

Australia, the world No2, snatched the draw with a Jodie Kenny goal from a penalty corner with four minutes left in the final round-robin match.

The Hockeyroos scored first with Kathryn Slattery driving into the righthand corner in the 14th minute. Kirsten Pearce equalised three minutes later with a reverse stick shot and Olivia Merry deflected from a penalty corner in the 39th minute.

Black Sticks women's head coach Mark Hager was pleased with the performance. "We should have been up by a couple more goals in the last quarter but Australia made some good saves."

It will also be a transtasman affair in the men's final after the Black Sticks and Kookaburras completed straightforward wins of 12-0 over Fiji and 36-0 over Samoa respectively.

Samoa ended pool play with a negative 93-goal differential across their three games.

Kane Russell and Hugo Inglis both scored a hat-tricks for New Zealand, while Ryan Archibald and Simon Child got doubles with Stephen Jenness and Nic Woods also netting.

The Black Sticks men must win the Oceania Cup to guarantee qualification for next year's Rio Olympics.

They last missed the Games in 2000.

Should they lose, there is a convoluted escape route. If South Africa win the Africa Cup - they have won the last six - to secure the last Games continental spot in Johannesburg tonight, their Olympic Committee are considering not sending them due to a lack of competitiveness.

New Zealand's world ranking would then gain them a Rio reprieve.