LAUSANNE: With just over four months to go until the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, taking place between 5-14 April, the Pools and match schedule have been released, and there are some intriguing match-ups in store for the teams and fans.
According to the schedule announced by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) on Tuesday, reigning Silver medallists and Asian champions India are placed in a relatively easy but tricky Pool B alongside arch-rivals Pakistan, last edition’s Bronze medallists England, Malaysia and Wales.
India will open their campaign against Pakistan in a mouth-watering men’s hockey contest. It is a given that the meeting between the Pool B rivals will be a highly-charged affair, with both teams playing for continental bragging rights.
However, no less intense will be the repeat of the 10-goal pool match between Malaysia and England at the Hero Hockey World League Semi-Final in London, where England ran out 7-3 winners.
Five-time champions and hosts Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada and Scotland feature in Pool A.
In the women’s competition, there are a number of teams who will be relishing the chance to go for Gold in what will be the last major international event before the Vitality Hockey Women’s World Cup London 2018 that takes place between 21 July and 5 August.
Current champions Australia will want to impress in front of a home crowd, while England and New Zealand will both want to get their names on the trophy for the first time.
Australia men reign supreme when it comes to the Commonwealth Games – five editions, five victories – so there will be a queue of nations lining up for a crack at the title, not least recently crowned Asian champions India, who have been runners-up in the past two editions.
In the women’s event, Pool A comprises the world number two ranked team England; India (FIH Hero World Ranking:10) who, like their men, were recently crowned Asian champions; African champions South Africa (WR:14); Malaysia (WR:22), who gained so much experience from the FINTRO Hockey World League Semi-Final in Brussels; and Wales (WR:26), who will bring the passion and fire they showed to finish fourth at EuroHockey Champions Challenge II.
Equally compelling are some of the teams who will meet in Pool B.
Top of the tree are current title holders Australia – currently ranked fourth in the world and winners of the 2017 Oceania Cup. They are joined by rivals New Zealand (WR: 5) who will arrive in the Gold Coast exuberant from a performance at the Sentinel Homes Hockey World League Final that saw them knock out Argentina and take the silver medals; Scotland (WR: 18) who are an improving nation who, like Malaysia gained valuable experience in the World League in Brussels earlier this year; Canada (WR:21) who fell short by their standards at the Pan American Cup and will have a point to prove, and Ghana (WR:30) who have grown in experience and knowledge over the past four years, particularly through their partnership with the International Hockey Federation’s (FIH) West Africa Targetted Assistance Programme.
