World No. 12 New Zealand put on a resilient show at the FIH Men’s Junior World Cup before narrowly losing to world No. 4 Spain in the quarterfinal on Friday.
Credit: HI MEDIA
Ka mate, ka mate, ka ora, ka ora (I die, I die, I live, I live).
The iconic haka theme song in Maori is about survival and triumph despite hardships. It is a chant that also reflects the spirit of the Kiwis.
Unlike the All Blacks (New Zealand’s rugby team), there was no haka performed by the Black Sticks before the start of each match at the FIH Men’s Junior World Cup here. But everybody following the tournament got to witness the fierce determination and unity of the New Zealand squad both on and off the field.
The world No. 12 team, coached by Mike Delaney, entered the knockouts as the lowest-ranked among the final eight teams. Following wins over Japan (3-2) and China (5-3) and an impressive draw against world No. 3 Argentina (3-3) in Pool C games, New Zealand almost caused the upset of the tournament when they were three seconds away from a potential semifinal berth.
Cornered by world No. 4 Spain, who took a 3-0 lead by the end of the first quarter, the New Zealanders were written off after the first 15 minutes of the quarterfinal game in Chennai on Friday. The boys in all-white shirts and shorts, however, rose from the ashes levelling 3-3 with 47 seconds left for full-time.
But a penalty corner conversion by Spain in the dying moments meant their spirited performance ended in a 3-4 heartbreak.
"For what we've got, we do really, really well," said Alan Lints, father of 21-year-old player Sam Lints, with a smile that is both proud and grateful. “We’re so proud of our team,” added Alan, one among the 50-plus family and friends accompanying the team to support them here.
Given the hardships they face off the field to keep themselves floating, these reactions aren't irrational.
With no lengthy national camps, the team-mates, who play in different regions of the country, came together only at the airport before flying to India. Flight delays, loss of luggage and alien conditions were added challenges.
"I want to emphasise that this is all self-funded," revealed Alan, whose son Sam scored the first and third goals against Spain. "As parents or family we've all put in about, say, 8,000 (NZ dollars) each for us to get here. The second thing is that the boys trained in their regions. Because of the lack of finance, we have played only two events -- Sultan of Johor Cup, Malaysia in November and Oceania Cup in January -- this year. Only a total of nine games in 11 months before this tournament,” he shared.
Quite a journey marked by valleys and troughs, much like their country’s landscape but the islanders chose to ignore issues and make the most of the opportunity. Captain Gus Nelson’s (also a farmer) response reasserts their conviction.
“I do not want to comment on that,” said the calm 21-year-old to a query about a controversial overruling of the video umpire’s decision by the onfield umpires in the last few seconds of their last-eight match that resulted in Spain scoring the winning goal.
“I’m not dwelling on the umpire's decision. We could have saved that. We should have saved it. Nonetheless, I’m proud of what we have achieved here.”
Upane. Kaupane. Whiti te ra (I rise up from the darkness of the pit and ascend to the light of the sun).