Kip Colvey

Club: San Jose Earthquakes (USA)

In the starting 11 against Russia, it was good to see Colvey venture forward to support an otherwise hapless middle three. Lacked confidence against a vastly more experienced campaigner in former Chelsea man Yuri Zhirkov. On the bench for both the Mexico and Portugal clashes, as Dane Ingham and Tom Doyle were given chances to impress Hudson in the squad.

Score: 5.5/10

 

Tommy Smith

Club: Ipswich Town (England)

The most effective All White on the pitch against the Russians. Lost his temper late on in the piece, but combined well throughout the park and was unlucky to have a header cleared off the line. Against Mexico he also pushed forward for attacking set pieces and generally made himself a handful for the defensive line. Was unlucky not to be a little faster and get boot to a ball that evidently rolled out for a goal kick, when the Kiwis could have been 2-0 up and away laughing. The Portugal match saw a different side to Smith though - he was reluctant to commit to tackling Ronaldo in particular, and the All Whites were made to pay when he coolly slotted a penalty. Only then did Smith, Durante and Boxall begin to close the superstar’s space down.

Score 6.5/10

 

Andrew Durante

Club: Wellington Phoenix (New Zealand)

Playing as the central member of New Zealand's back three, Durante was unconvincing while covering attackers Poloz and Smolov and lost too many 50-50 headers at the beginning of the Russian match. He, like so many other All Whites, grew into the tournament as it progressed. And although he was substituted for Shane Smeltz in the 74th minute against Portugal, he had made significant improvements to his game since his showing in St Petersburg the first time. Will forever remember dispossessing Ronaldo.

Score 5/10

 

Michael Boxall

Club: SuperSport United (South Africa)

The first contribution Boxall made to the All Whites in their Confederations Cup campaign was to dive into a tackle, only to miss ball and player, leaving a gaping hole where a centre back is meant to be. Following that, he warmed to the occasion like Andrew Durante, and won more aerial battles. Had a very quiet game against Mexico and went missing for long spells, occasionally winning or conceding the odd foul. Hard not to feel sorry for him going up against the quality of Ronaldo in the Portugal clash, and in the end the Real Madrid athlete came out trumps.

Score 5.5/10

 

Deklan Wynne

Club: Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 (Canada)

Wynne, against Russia, made crucial tackles in the defensive third and started counter attacks which often fizzled out (through no fault of his own). He also outplayed his fullback counterpart Kip Colvey on the other flank. Was a substitute for Tom Doyle in the Portugal matchup - Doyle and Wynne may become a more regular part of Hudson’s plans after their respective performances.

Score 5.5/10