SUNDAY, 14 JUNE 2026
NEW ZEALAND POWER PAST TOUGH CHALLENGE FROM KOREA
- Japan takes step close to Men’s Hockey Nations Cup semis
Cape Town, South Africa: New Zealand and Japan maintained their unbeaten records to move a step closer to the semifinals of the FIH Men’s Hockey Nations Cup at Hartleyvale Stadium in Cape Town on Sunday.
The Black Sticks were made to work hard by a gritty Korean outfit before pulling away in the final quarter, scoring four unanswered goals to secure a 6-2 victory. Earlier in the day, Japan relied on a solitary strike from Koji Yamasaki to edge Scotland 1-0.
Japan top Pool A on seven points, although they have played three matches, while New Zealand sits on six points after two games.
It was a memorable evening for New Zealand penalty corner specialist Kane Russell, who made a major impact with two goals to take his international tally to 97. The veteran defender was equally influential at the back.
Black Sticks coach Greg Nicol was full of praise for Russell’s contribution.
“Kane is a phenomenal player. We can talk about the goals, but what he did defensively tonight was also pretty special, stealing the ball in numerous one-on-one situations,” he said.
“He was pretty slick in the warm-up, and I said to him that this could be his day. It showed when the penalty corners came.”
Nicol was also pleased with the way his side adapted after Korea employed an effective aerial strategy in the opening stages.
“The thing that pleases me most is that Korea threw a lot at us early and their aerial game was on point and extremely effective, so we had to adapt,” he said.
“The fact that we adapted and then pushed on to take control of the game is what I’m most pleased with.
“Sometimes teams throw things at you and, if it takes too long to fix, you can run into trouble. But we fixed it quickly enough and, once we found our flow, this team showed what it can do.
“So I’m proud of the learning they did during the game.”
In addition to Russell’s penalty-corner success, Dylan Thomas bagged a brace of goals for the Black Sticks.
Earlier, Japan secured a hard-fought victory over Scotland thanks to Yamasaki’s sharp reactions in front of goal. The forward deflected the ball into the net after a teammate’s shot appeared to be drifting wide of the post.
The decisive moment arrived with just two minutes remaining in the third quarter and, although Scotland threw everything at Japan in search of an equaliser, the Japanese remained disciplined and composed to record their second win of the tournament to go with an opening draw.
Yamasaki was delighted to have made the difference.
“I was very happy to score that goal,” he said. “I was just focused on the ball and that enabled me to get it into the net.
“We play a high-pressure game and used our counterattack to get into their half and stop them from scoring.
“Our main focus was on this match because we knew we had to win today.”
Despite suffering a third successive defeat, Scotland remained competitive throughout and created enough chances to salvage something from the match. They earned several penalty corners and also saw efforts rebound off the crossbar and the right-hand post.
Coach Neil Allan admitted his side were disappointed with the result but believed there were positives to take from the performance.
“We dominated a lot of possession during the game and limited Japan to one chance from open play, which they scored, as well as a couple of penalty corners,” he said.
“But that’s the difference at this level. We hit the post and the bar, and had a few short corners, but we probably need to improve our work inside the circle.
“Coming to this tournament has been fantastic. We don’t often get the opportunity to play teams at this level, and we have a young squad with an average age of around 23, so it has been a great experience for them.”
Scorers:
Japan 1 (Koji Yamasaki); Scotland 0
New Zealand 6 (Kane Russell 2, Dylan Thomas 2, Scott Boyde, Benjamin Culhane); Korea 2 (Jonghyun Jang, Dohyun Lim).
The latest standings are (matches in brackets):
Pool A: Japan 7 (3), New Zealand 6 (2), Malaysia 3 (2), Korea 1 (2), Scotland 0 (3)
Pool B: France 6 (2), South Africa 3 (2), Ireland 3 (2), United States 0 (2)
Ends.
FREE TO USE PICTURES WITH CAPTIONS
Kane Russell NZ: Kane Russell of New Zealand passes the ball in their match against Korea at the FIH Men’s Hockey Nations Cup being played at the Hartleyvale Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa on Sunday 14 June 2026. Russell scored two goals in the match. New Zealand beat Korea 6-2.
Korea vs New Zealand 2: Korean Dohuyn Lim celebrates after scoring the opening goal against New Zealand at the FIH Men’s Hockey Nations Cup being played at the Hartleyvale Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa on Sunday 14 June 2026. New Zealand beat Korea 6-2.
Korea vs New Zealand 1: Korea’s Jinkang Rim, and New Zealand’s George Baker contest for the ball at the FIH Men’s Hockey Nations Cup being played at the Hartleyvale Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa on Sunday 14 June 2026. New Zealand beat Korea 6-2.
Greg Nicol: Former South Africa hockey player now heads coach of New Zealand, Greg Nicol pictured at the FIH Men’s Hockey Nations Cup being played at the Hartleyvale Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa on Sunday 14 June 2026.
Korea vs New Zealand 5: New Zealand group after beating Korea 6-2 to remain unbeaten at the FIH Men’s Hockey Nations Cup being played at the Hartleyvale Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa on Sunday 14 June 2026.
Photo credits: Ray Chaplin Sports Media
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