Men
New Zealand come into the Rabobank Hockey World Cup on the back of a disappointing Champions Challenge 1 tournament in Kuantan, Malaysia. Following a Silver medal winning performance in the Hero Hockey World League Final event in India at the start of the year, the Black Sticks were seen as heavy favourites for the Gold medal at the Champions Challenge 1.
However, an agonising shoot-out defeat in their quarter-final match against Malaysia meant that they would compete in the classification matches for the 5-8 positions. New Zealand eventually finished in fifth place thanks to impressive victories over Poland (6-1) and France (6-3), and will be fiercely determined to get among the medals in The Hague.
Head coach Colin Batch – a member of the triumphant Australia squad that won the 1986 World Cup in London – has made no alterations to the squad that competed in Kuantan, naming 13 players who have surpassed the 100 international appearances marker.
Dazzling striker Simon Child is a member of the 200 cap club, while veteran attacker Phil Burrows and team captain Dean Couzins have both played over 300 times for their country. A shot at the medals is well within their capabilities.
Best World Cup results:
The men’s best result: 7th at the 1973, 1975 and 1983 World Cups. The men have taken part in eight previous World Cup tournaments.
FIH World Ranking:
7th
Team
| 4 Nick Haig | 5 Andy Hayward |
| 6 Simon Child | 8 Dean Couzins |
| 9 Blair Hilton | 13 Marcus Child |
| 14 Jared Panchia | 16 Hamish Mcgregor |
| 18 Phil Burrows | 19 Alex Shaw |
| 20 Devon Manchester | 21 Kane Russell |
| 22 Blair Tarrant | 14 Arun Panchia |
| 25 Shea Mcaleese | 27 Stephen Jenness |
| 29 hugo Inglis | 31 Steve Edwards |
Staff
Head Coach – Collin Batch
Assistant Coach – Bryce Collins
Team Manager – Peter van Breugel
Stand-In Manager – Scott Logan
Physiotherapist – Peter Lee
Women
Under the guidance of coach and former Australian international Mark Hager, New Zealand’s Black Sticks have enjoyed arguably the most successful period in their history. In 2011, the team claimed their first ever Champions Trophy medal when they took third place at the tournament in Amsterdam, and a year later narrowly missed out on an Olympic medal when they were beaten by Great Britain in the fight for Bronze.
The results did not go entirely to plan in 2013, finishing fourth at the Rabobank Hockey World League SemiFinal in Rotterdam before losing out to Australia in the final of the Oceania Cup, which was played on home soil in Taranaki.
Teenagers Elizabeth Thompson and Sophie Cocks were both given their international debuts at the Oceania Cup and have since secured a dream selection for the World Cup. New Zealand ended the year with a solid 5th place finish at the Argentina Hockey World League Final event in San Miguel de Tucumán and will be looking forward to challenging for the silverware in The Hague.
Players to watch include attacking midfielder Krystal Forgesson, quick-silver forward Anita Punt and midfield dynamo Kayla Whitelock (neé Sharland), the latter of which was shortlisted for the FIH Player of the Year award both in 2012 and 2013.
Best World Cup results:
The women’s best result: 4th at the 1986 World Cup in Amstelveen. The New Zealand women have taken part in six World Cups.
FIH World Ranking:
5th
Team
| 1 Kayla Whitelock | 2 Emily Naylor |
| 3 Krystal Forgesson | 4 Olivia Merry |
| 5 Katie Glynn | 6 Petrea Webster |
| 8 Sally Rutherford | 13 Samantha Charlton |
| 14 Michaela Curtis | 16 Liz Thompson |
| 17 Sophie Cocks | 19 Rhiannon Dennison |
| 22 Gemma Flynn | 24 Rose Keddell |
| 27 Jorrdan Grant | 30 Bianca Russel |
| 31 Stacey Michelsen | 32 Anita Punt |
Staff
Head Coach – Mark Hager
Assistant Coach – Sean Dancer
Team Manager – Debbie Balme
Stand-In Manager – Chris Leslie
Physiotherapist – Fiona O’Connor