3rd place at stake for NZ Hawks

The New Zealand Hawks will finish the International Cup with a playoff for third against South Africa.

The match will take place at Ransford Oval today at 1.00pm EST. For international fans, the match will be streamed live here: http://www.afl.com.au/global/aflic14/streaming. Streaming will begin at 3.00pm NZ time.

Both teams are coming into the match after winning all but one of their games. South Africa have been one of the surprise packages of the tournament, after upsetting Papua New Guinea in the group stage.

AFL has been a developing sport in South Africa over recent years, and the South Africans were looking to make their first ever International Cup final this year. It was not to be, with Ireland battling hard to knock South Africa out in their semi final.

They play a skilled brand of football, with a strong running game, and will test the fitness of the New Zealand Hawks.

For the New Zealanders, the match will be an opportunity to restore pride after a gut wrenching loss in the semi finals to Papua New Guinea.

After qualifying at the top of the ladder, the New Zealand Hawks were widely tipped to contest the Grand Final. However, the speed and intensity of Papua New Guinea was too much for them.

With the bronze medal on the line though, coach Justin Davies should have no problem motivating his players to rise for a final effort, at the end of a tough campaign.

In team news, both sides have agreed to extend the benches, meaning all but two of the New Zealand Hawks squad will take the field today. Andrew Christensen and Brendan Clark will miss out due to injury.

NZ Hawks Playing Team