Wales might be the minnows of the Commonwealth Games' women's hockey tournament, but their unknown quality has the Blacks Sticks on their toes.
The two sides meet on the first day of competition in New Delhi today, with the New Zealanders, the third seeds, favoured to get their campaign off to a winning start.
But for Auckland defender Lucy Talbot, lack of familiarity with the opposition added something extra to the equation.
"We don't know a lot about Wales," she said.
"We have a couple of videos, but as a team we've never played them before. In that respect, there are a few nerves when you don't know what you are getting yourself into."
At 21, Talbot is an up-and-comer in the Black Sticks ranks, but having also collected 33 caps and become a regular in the side.
She was lapping up an exotic first experience at a Commonwealth Games and had no complaints about the village accommodation, which had needed a late-minute clean-up before athletes moved in.
"Our room is definitely more than adequate and we have everything we need," she said.
"It's nice and cool, it's got plenty of air-con, the shower works, the water's hot, the bed's are alright. You can't complain. It's fine so far."
Delays in getting the accommodation habitable meant the 16-strong squad had an unscheduled stopover in Hong Kong and one only warm-up friendly after arriving in New Delhi.
That match resulted in a disappointing 2-0 defeat on Friday to South Africa, who are ranked five places lower than the world No 7 Black Sticks.
It also meant a lengthy team meeting to dissect what happened.
"I think the heat definitely played a factor and that's something we have to take into consideration in terms of hydration and staying cool," Talbot said.
"We had a good look at our attacking and our pressing and we'll do work on our defensive play and our tackling lines."
The South African setback aside, the mood in the camp was positive ahead of four pool matches from which New Zealand need to finish in the top two to make the semifinals.
"We've done all the hard work and had a good build-up in Hong Kong," Talbot said.
"It has been good so far and everything seems to be going well."
