Hockey: NZ must improve for final - coach

The New Zealand women's hockey team will need to shift up a gear when it faces Australia in New Delhi today for the gold medal, coach Mark Hager says.

New Zealand set up the transtasman showdown when a Clarissa Eshuis goal gave it a 1-0 victory over South Africa, after the Hockeyroos had got past England by the same score.

While Hager was happy with his players' first-half performance at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, he was less so about the second spell, which he rated as "a five out of 10".

He felt the the Black Sticks would have to be more consistent in the final, which will be played in the heat of day.

They would also have to improve their transition from defence into attack, after South Africa was often able to push them to the lefthand side of the field.

Australia is the defending champion and has won the title two of the three times hockey has been on the Games schedule.

It also beat New Zealand 4-1 in the World Cup in Argentina last month.

However, the Black Sticks are quietly confident about their prospects of adding gold to the only medal that New Zealand women have won in Commonwealth Games hockey, a bronze in Kuala Lumpur in 1998.

The fact the Australians were held to a 1-1 draw by South Africa in pool play is one of the sources of encouragement.

"If we can play well and put as much pressure on the Australians as South Africa did, then we give ourselves a chance," Hager said.

"If we turn over the ball a lot, then the Australians will punish us like any team will. It's really critical for us to maintain possession for long periods."

After Eshuis' goal in the 53th minute, South Africa came out searching for the equaliser to keep its own gold medal hopes alive.

The last few minutes were tough watching for New Zealand fans in the stadium, especially as their team was asked to do plenty of defending and then conceded a penalty corner in the last minute.

"It was a little bit stressful," said goalkeeper Beth Jurgeleit, who was a standout with a string of saves to keep a clean sheet.

"But we had defended well all game and we had defended penalty corners well, and it was just making sure we did more of the same."

One feature of the match was dozens upon dozens of kite birds that flew back and forth above the field in the late afternoon sun.

At one point, they swooped so low they flew among the players, who did not seem oblivious to them.

Meanwhile, the New Zealand men's team will play off for bronze tomorrow after falling to a 2-6 defeat at the hands of defending champion and world No 1 Australia last night.

The Kookaburras virtually sealed the win in a six-minute period just before halftime when they broke a 0-0 deadlock with three quick goals.

The New Zealanders showed plenty of spirit in the 30degC heat, but for most of the match they found the opposition midfield and defence difficult to penetrate.

But they did stage a late fightback from 0-4 down, with goals to Blair Hilton and Phil Burrows, and they also had another effort disallowed.