VANTAGE BLACK STICKS MEN TAKE THREE POINTS WHILE WOMEN FIGHT TO THE END
The Vantage Black Sticks Men and Women were back in action overnight in their second matches of the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup. The men claiming an important first victory of the tournament while the women continued to show promising signs despite a 3-2 loss to Ireland.
After a tough opening match against hosts the Netherlands, the Vantage Black Sticks Men bounced back with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Japan in Amsterdam.
New Zealand opened the scoring in the 12th minute through Sam Lane. Isaac Houlbrooke produced a strong run into the circle before finding Lane perfectly positioned in front of goal to guide the ball home.
The Vantage Black Sticks continued to work hard throughout the match and sealed the three points in the 46th minute through Dylan Thomas. The forward produced a spectacular piece of individual skill, creating space from an almost impossible angle before finding the back of the net.
Head Coach Greg Nicol was pleased to come away with the result.
“Great to get the win today. We were not at our technical best, but we worked hard and managed to grind out the win and the three points.
“We’ve done the job today and will need to lift again for the next game against Argentina.”
The result leaves New Zealand with everything to play for heading into their final pool match against Argentina. With the Netherlands already leading the pool, the winner of the New Zealand and Argentina match will put themselves in a strong position to join them in the top eight.
In Belgium, the Vantage Black Sticks Women faced Ireland after their opening loss to the host nation.
After a tight start, Ireland took the lead in the second quarter before New Zealand responded strongly after halftime.
The pressure paid off early in the third quarter when Mezzy Surridge scored from a well-executed penalty corner variation to level the scores at 1-1.
Ireland regained control and eventually moved out to a 3-1 lead, but the Vantage Black Sticks continued to fight until the final whistle. New Zealand scored again from a penalty corner with just 13 seconds remaining, finishing the match strongly despite the 3-2 result.
The result, combined with Belgium and Spain's draw, means New Zealand can no longer progress into the top eight. Under the new World Cup format, the top two teams from each pool advance to the Second Stage, while the bottom two move into the Classification Stage to compete for positions 9-16.
Head Coach Phil Burrows said the focus now remains on continuing to compete and getting as much as possible from the World Cup experience.
“I was really proud of the way this young group responded after the Belgium game. We played some really clean hockey, controlled the ball well and created multiple goal-scoring opportunities.
“There is a lot in that performance that shows where this group is heading. Our mindset doesn’t change. We’re at a World Cup to compete, to play good hockey and to keep developing and learning from every experience.”
There is still one pool match remaining for both teams, with plenty to play for as the tournament moves into its next stage.
The Vantage Black Sticks Men now face Argentina at 10.30pm NZT 20th August in a huge final pool match, while the women will take on Spain at 12.00am NZT 21st August as they look to finish pool play strongly.
New Zealand Goal Scorers: MEN
12' Sam Lane - Field Goal
46' Dylan Thomas - Field Goal
New Zealand Goal Scorers: WOMEN
35' Mezzy Surridge - Penalty Corner Goal
60' Katie Doar - Penalty Corner Goal