Black Sticks captain Dean Couzins is calling for his side to
channel their frustrations into an all-out assault on England
at the Champions Trophy tomorrow.
The match in Melbourne is New Zealand's final game of pool
play and the result will dictate who they meet in the
quarter-finals.
Last night's 4-2 loss to India left the Black Sticks at the
bottom of Pool A.
"We're frustrated and disappointed with how we played and
that's still biting more today than last night. We feel that
as a team we can play better than what we are," Couzins said.
"The word 'patches' probably sums us up a little bit,
unfortunately. We have been playing some good stuff at times
but not for long enough periods. Part of that is the quality
of opposition you play but you can control that a bit by what
you're doing and that's where the frustration comes in."
New Zealand have a new head coach in Colin Batch, three
players making their debut, and several other new players to
the squad, but Couzins is confident the team can find another
level.
"I think the new guys have gone well. Alex [Shaw] is playing
a lot of minutes at the back and doing some really good
stuff. Devon [Manchester] debuted last night and I thought he
played well. All the new guys have done a really good job and
they're being well supported by the coaching staff and other
players so it's good to see."
Black Sticks forward Stephen Jenness has been cleared of a
hand fracture after suffering an injury in the India match.
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