Phil Burrows has named 20 players for the Vantage Black Sticks women’s defence of the FIH Nations Cup in Auckland next month, with 22-year-old Ruby Baker handed her first senior cap and several injury returnees rejoining the group for what shapes as the country’s biggest international hockey event in nearly a decade.
The tournament runs from 15 to 21 June at North Harbour Hockey Centre and pulls together eight nations, with New Zealand, India, Japan, the United States, Uruguay, Chile, France and South Korea competing for the title the Black Sticks lifted in Santiago last year. Promotion places to the FIH Pro League’s top tier are on the line, as is hard match practice ahead of the FIH Hockey World Cup later in 2026.
Burrows used his squad announcement to underline how unusual it is for the Black Sticks to host eight teams on home turf, and how much weight the tournament carries on the road to the World Cup.
“For our group, it’s a valuable pressure tournament leading into the World Cup later this year, especially as defending champions with the expectations that come from playing at home,” Burrows said.
“It’s also a special moment for Ruby Baker, who has thoroughly earned the opportunity to make her debut in front of a home crowd.”
Baker has been pushing for selection since wearing the New Zealand A jersey at a four-team international tournament in Dunedin in January, where she was one of the more composed defenders in a young development side. Her elevation lifts the average age of the squad only slightly, which fits the wider rebuild Burrows has overseen since taking the head coaching role in 2024.
The bigger headline for many fans will be the return of four players who missed last year’s Nations Cup success in Chile. Defenders Ella Hyatt-Brown, Liz Thompson, Millie Calder and Tessa Reid all rejoin the group, restoring a layer of senior experience to a back line that has been rotated heavily across the past 12 months. With Anna Crowley, Olivia Shannon and goalkeeper Grace O’Hanlon also locked in, Burrows has reassembled close to a first-choice spine for the first time in over a year.
Christchurch-born midfielder Josephine Murray keeps her place after a strong run since switching her allegiance from the Netherlands, where she represented the under-21 side, to New Zealand. Murray has slotted in cleanly enough that Burrows now regards her as part of the long-term core, an unusually quick integration for an overseas-developed player at this level.
The Nations Cup is essentially a second-tier global event sitting underneath the FIH Pro League, but the prize is significant. The winner earns promotion to the Pro League’s top tier, which delivers a steady diet of fixtures against the world’s leading sides through 2027 and 2028 and is the most reliable way of staying World Cup competitive. The Black Sticks already secured promotion through last year’s win, so this year’s defence is about holding their position, not climbing.
That 2024 final in Santiago was one of the toughest games the side has played in recent memory. New Zealand and Ireland could not be separated across 60 minutes and went to a penalty shootout, where the Black Sticks held their nerve to lift the trophy in front of a small travelling group of family and supporters. Returning to the same competition as defending champions, on home turf, with a near-full strength squad, is a very different proposition.
It also lands in a year where New Zealand women’s hockey has been quietly building momentum. The team recently snatched a penalty-shootout win over the Hockeyroos to seal qualification for the World Cup, ending a long stretch of close losses against Australia. Holding form into a home Nations Cup gives Burrows a chance to test combinations under genuine tournament pressure rather than in standalone friendlies.
The draw is not soft. India have lifted their performance under coach Harendra Singh and beat New Zealand twice during the Pro League. Japan are typically one of the fastest and most disciplined defensive units in Asia, and the United States bring a physical, athletic style that has caused the Black Sticks problems in the past. France and South Korea are improving, and Chile and Uruguay will arrive with little to lose. Burrows said the spread of styles is part of why the tournament is so useful as a World Cup warm-up.
“It’s an exciting time for hockey in New Zealand. Opportunities to host international tournaments on home soil don’t come around often, so it’s a great occasion for both the players and fans,” he said.
For Auckland’s hockey community the timing could not be better. North Harbour Hockey Centre will host all matches, and Hockey New Zealand has flagged the event as a chance to broaden the women’s game beyond its traditional school and club base. Schedules, ticketing details and broadcast information are expected to be confirmed in the next fortnight on the Hockey New Zealand website.
The full Black Sticks women’s squad is Anna Crowley, Britt Wang, Casey Crowley, Ella Hyatt-Brown, Emma Findlay, Grace O’Hanlon, Hannah Cotter, Hannah Gravenall, Holly Pearson, Josephine Murray, Julia Gluyas, Kaitlin Cotter, Liz Thompson, Mezzy Surridge, Millie Calder, Olivia Shannon, Paige Blake, Riana Pho, Ruby Baker and Tessa Reid.
What do you think about the squad and the prospects of a home title defence? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.
This article was written by AI, briefed to report the facts, hopefully without some of the bias people bring to the job 🙂
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