Hockey: Knocked off their stride

A stirring haka aimed at firing up the Black Sticks for their Commonwealth Games' opener against England yesterday worked a treat - for their opponents.

Failing to settle after winning the fans with their heart-felt rendition, New Zealand were soon behind and left chasing the game.

They eventually went down 4-3 and face an early exit from the medal race.

"It is going to be a long road all the way to China if we don't win our next two games to keep ourselves in with a chance here," said coach Kevin Towns.

"Losing first-up makes it real tough. We now have to nail the matches against Canada and Scotland and then hope England is upset and we can take a point off Australia."

Towns admitted his players had failed to match the pace and intensity of the English and were let down by a couple of ill-timed mistakes and defensive errors.

"We turned over too much ball," he said.

Those errors contributed to a stop-start tournament opener for the Black Sticks.

They were stung early when Simon Mantell, with virtually his first touch as an eighth-minute substitute, whipped home a reverse stick shot after getting in behind Shea McAleese.

Sparked into action with Simon Child's early introduction, New Zealand equalised in the 17th minute when Gareth Brooks worked along the goal-line before finding Bevan Hari who pushed home at the far post.

Matthew Daly provided the final touch from a good ball in from Barry Middleton to put England 2-1 ahead in the 29th minute.

They went further ahead 12 minutes into the second half when a quickly-taken free-hit split the New Zealand defence and had Dean Couzins flat-footed while appealing to the umpire as Richard Alexander scored.

A Hayden Shaw drag flick, from the second of five penalty corners the New Zealanders won, closed the gap.

They remained within range, but only until Daly scored his second for a 4-2 lead - minutes after goalkeeper Paul Woolford had expertly denied Mantell's attempt with a stroke - with just four minutes left to play.

Winning a late penalty corner gave them a chance. Shaw's attempt was blocked but Blair Hopping, after dragging out, was on hand to thump home.

Too little, too late and something to ponder before they return today to face a Canadian team playing their first match of the tournament.

Captain Ryan Archibald, still working hard to produce his very best at centre-half, said the result was "very disappointing" in a game they had seen as the "crunch".

Like Towns and the rest of the squad, he rued the two strikes that breached the English defence but hit the post and were cleared.

"We had chances against a team who play a different style and are pretty direct," said Archibald.

"Now we have to make sure of the next two and then go after the Aussies in a game we are looking forward to."