NZ men aiming to bounce back
THE Black Sticks men are hoping to bounce back against Germany tonight following a heavy 62 loss to Great Britain last week in the FIH Pro League.
Germany comes over from Australia having had a tough match against the Kookaburras the previous week and will be hoping they make a good recovery in what is a short turnaround.
Black Sticks coach Darren Smith’s men will need to aim for a complete 60minute performance if they are going to upset the world No 6 side.
The last time the two sides met was in a highscoring match which resulted in Germany walking away with a 74 win.
The Black Sticks are without FIH Leagueleading goalscorer Hugo Inglis and will be looking to some of the newer members of the strike line to step up and fill the void.
Look out for Sam Lane who will be playing a second match in front of his home crowd. Lane has some electrifying skills and can put a rocket of a shot past any goalkeeper.
‘‘We are going to need to play with a bit of zip on the ball and play our style of hockey against Germany this week,’’ Smith said.
Germany features one of the most feared strike lines in world hockey.
Keep an eye out for Christopher Ruhr who is one of the most determined strikers going around in international hockey.
Ruhr has scored 38 goals in his 118 matches and will be looking to increase that total this evening.
The Black Sticks women are looking to maintain momentum rather than discover it. They beat Great Britain 51, so have plenty of confidence before their game against Germany this evening.
Defender Ella Gunson will be making her 200th appearance for the national side. She scored last week to take her tally to nine.
‘‘Ella has been a stalwart of the group and certainly puts her body on the line every time she steps out there,’’ coach Sean Dancer said.