Forest star Wood spearheads New Zealand with World Cup within reach

The All Whites meet Fiji in the semi-finals of Oceania qualifying in Wellington on March 21st, with New Caledonia facing Tahiti on the same day.

The winners will play at Auckland's Eden Park three days later with the victor making the 2026 World Cup in North America after an Oceania side was awarded direct entry for the first time.

They will join co-hosts the United States, Mexico and Canada. New Zealand have played at the World Cup twice before, in 1982 and 2010, and are yet to win a game.

They are heavy favourites to qualify again, but coach Darren Bazeley said he was taking nothing for granted. "This is the business end of the competition now and we know we have a job to do in these games to see us return to the World Cup for the first time since 2010," he said.