Really disappointing result for the NZ men today, going down 2-0 to Korea. First ten minutes of the game we were all over them; then, for the rest of the first half we could barely get it out of our half, and Korea scored twice. Second half we were a bit better but the final ball let us down, and we also missed all three penalty corners we won. Makes it that much harder for us to qualify, means we'll have to beat at least one of Germany or the Netherlands, barring some major upsets. Korea looked decent, though not that great I thought - defensively they were very strong, but their main route of attack was to smash it into the circle and hope to find a player (which they did, twice).
Australia vs SA was next and was predictably one-sided, though I was actually reasonably impressed with SA - they've improved a lot in the last few years. First half in particular they kept pace with Aus. Australia were ridiculously good on attack, though defensively I thought they looked a little bit suspect at times, also were very cynical, number 19 in particular (cbf checking his name) who seemed a total thug, always leading/following through on tackles with elbows and shoulders. Got one green card, but should've been yellowed twice tbh.
Anyway, was freaking awesome to watch. So, so fast and skillful. Not just in a straight line either, the way these guys can change direction or spin around and not lose any pace is incredible. Also, just to be a **** and rub in how I'm here and you aren't, here's a couple of photos from the last two days. Think there's a crack in my camera lens, which ****s me off.