The Road to South Africa

The Oceania Group involves far-flung outposts of football, including the Cook Islands, Tahiti and Tonga. Three qualifiers from the Pacific Games in Samoa met New Zealand in a round-robin series with the winners playing off against the fifth-placed team from the Asian group, who in this case were Bahrain. Having been eliminated by the Solomon Islands four years ago, the All Whites had few problems making the qualifier. The first leg, in Bahrain, was drawn goallessly in oppressive heat and humidity but the return before a record crowd in Wellington was rather more dramatic. Rory Fallows’ header put New Zealand ahead but they would have gone out on they away goals rule had Mark Paston not saved a penalty.

The Star Players

Shane Smeltz (Gold Coast United) The World Cup must have seemed very distant when Smeltz was playing for Mansfield and Halifax in the lower reaches of English football but his career took off on his return to New Zealand with Wellington Phoenix and he was New Zealand’s leading scorer in qualification.

Chris Killen (Middlesbrough) A good enough forward to have scored twice against Italy in a Confederations Cup warm-up game that the Italians won 4-3, Killen’s career has never really taken off in Britain since signing for Manchester City’s youth academy a decade ago.

Mark Paston (Wellington Phoenix) A fairytale within a fairytale. Had Glen Moss not picked up a four-match ban for swearing at a referee in a qualifier with Fiji, he would have been in goal for the All Whites. Paston was drafted in, kept a clean sheet in the first leg of the play-off against Bahrain and saved a penalty in the second.

The Coach

Ricki Herbert As a defender, he was part of the New Zealand team that played in the country’s first World Cup, in 1982, when they failed to pick up a point but did not disgrace themselves. Twenty-eight years later, Herbert is back at the tournament in charge of a reinvigorated New Zealand side. He has combined international management with his role as head coach of Wellington Phoenix. However, with the All Whites having a barren fixture list after South Africa, there has been plenty of speculation he will succeed Pim Verbeek as Australia coach once the Dutchman’s contract with the Socceroos expires in the summer.

Honours

World Cup: Group stage 1982.
Confederations Cup: Group stage 2009.

Analysis

While Ricki Herbert’s men have given a new lease of life to football in New Zealand it would be astonishing if they progressed any further in the World Cup. Their target will probably be to earn their first point in the tournament and their play off with Bahrain suggests that is not impossible, especially since the pressure will be all on their opponents. With Group F likely to be tight, Italy, Paraguay and Slovakia all know that any points dropped to New Zealand will probably be fatal for their chances of qualification for the knockout stages.

Verdict

Squad (2/5)
Game and likely to be well organised but almost certainly out of its depth.

Coach (3/5)
Herbert has done all he can with the All Whites and this is likely to be a passport to bigger and better things.

Defence (2/5)
Ryan Nelsen will not tolerate any slackness around his back four and they kept two clean sheets in the Bahrain play-off.

Attack (2/5)
They have some handy performers but nobody who should be able to trouble an international defence too much.