Known as The Soccer Ashes, the latest instalment of the international football rivalry between Australia and New Zealand will be hosted at Gtech Community Stadium on Tuesday night.
Based on the concept of The Ashes in cricket, contested between England and Australia, the cigars of former Australia captain, Alec Gibb, and former New Zealand captain, George Campbell, were encased by a New Zealand soldier during the First World War and competed for in 1923 when New Zealand defeated Australia.
The prize went missing in the mid-1950s but was recently found and will now, once again, be competed for.
In the six Soccer Ashes series to date, Australia have won four and drawn one, with New Zealand’s sole victory tracing all the way back to that aforementioned 1923 series.
This time around, New Zealand come into the Ashes clash currently ranked 104th in the world, under the management of former Wolves and Walsall defender Darren Bazeley.
They are, however, beginning an international cycle whereby qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup feels inevitable, with Oceania guaranteed a spot at the tournament.
The Kiwis have managed just one win in their last eight matches since they won the OFC qualification campaign to reach the 2022 FIFA World Cup inter-confederation play-offs last year.
Quite remarkably, five of those fixtures finished either 1-0 or 0-0, with the other games consisting of 2-0, 2-1 and 4-1 scorelines.
There is pedigree in the current New Zealand squad, however, with Major League Soccer and EFL personnel featuring heavily, as well as the likes of Marko Stamenic and Callum McCowatt, who play top-flight football for Red Star Belgrade and Silkeborg in Serbia and Denmark respectively.
As for Australia, they are ranked 27th in the world by FIFA at the time of writing and reached the knockout stages of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar ten months ago, with the Socceroos only narrowly beaten by eventual winners Argentina in the last 16.
Australia twice beat New Zealand, 1-0 and 2-0, in the build-up to the World Cup and Graham Arnold’s side have built upon the good footballing methods previously put in place by current Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglu.
They retain a tournament-style pragmatism that sees them genuinely dangerous in transition, their low-scoring wins against the New Zealanders last year influenced by the Kiwis’ preference for sitting back and soaking up the pressure.
St Pauli’s Jackson Irvine is one of three players with more than 50 caps for his country, alongside former Brighton keeper Mat Ryan and defender Aziz Behich.
Perhaps the rising star to keep an eye on for the Aussies would be Middlesbrough winger Samuel Silvera, who made his international debut in a 2-2 draw with Mexico last month, and has shown real glimpses of quality.
Ones to watch
Jackson Irvine (Australia)
Back in July of this year, Socceroos midfielder Jackson Irvine was named St Pauli’s official club captain after having shared the responsibility with Leart Paqarada last season.
It’s hard to think of a better player to captain the unique cult team - who are currently top of the 2 Bundesliga ahead of local rivals Hamburger SV - than Jackson Irvine.
The Melbourne-born player, who came through Celtic’s academy before stints with Burton Albion and Hull City, embodies St Pauli’s club culture, demonstrating a strong sense of social justice and a punk-rock ethos.
In a world where athletes can be seen as footballing machines with few interests outside of training, Irvine is a breath of fresh air.
As far as we’re aware, he’s the only player to feature in a World Cup to also have a tattoo of Simpson’s favourite Moe Szyslak or to be a fan of the Boston hardcore punk band Have Heart.
He’s the kind of free spirit who wears his passions, very literally and permanently, on his sleeve.
Irvine’s leadership is recognised by his country too. The player - who was also eligible for Scotland through his father - led his country out for the first time in a friendly game against Ecuador back in March.
With 61 caps in total to his name since making his debut against Canada, the St Pauli man is now Australia’s third-highest appearance maker of currently active players (only Matthew Leckie and Mathew Ryan have more caps).
On the pitch, Irvine is an all-action midfielder who isn’t afraid to put himself about - something the chipped teeth he endured last season will attest to. He'll put his head into harm's way without a second thought.
But Irvine is more than just a hustler in the middle of the park, he can finish too. Indeed, last season Irvine finished as his club’s second top scorer with eight goals in total from midfield, as well as chipping in with two assists.
While the 30-year-old has yet to find the net this season, he has been there for his team-mates, making four assists in his eight games played. Only Barış Atik of Magdeburg has made more assists (6) in the German second tier so far.
What he brings defensively is also evident, with Irvine ranking in the top ten in the league for shots blocked so far this season with eight while last season he finished the campaign third for interceptions in the 2 Bundesliga with 59 in total.
Jackson Irvine isn’t the only St Pauli player to make the Australia squad, though; club understudy Connor Metcalfe often joins Irvine in midfield.
Should the two play together for the Socceroos against New Zealand they’ll be hoping to recreate their form in Germany that has seen St Pauli remain undefeated in their opening 10 games so far this season.
Tommy Smith (New Zealand)
The scene is set for Tuesday's Soccer Ashes Trophy clash between Australia and New Zealand at Gtech Community Stadium - and there will be a familiar face on show for the All Whites.
Currently harbouring ambitions of a League Two promotion push with MK Dons, defender Tommy Smith has been named in New Zealand's squad for the trans-Tasman fixture, and the 33-year-old will be one of the more experienced players in their ranks having clocked up a half-century of appearances for the Antipodeans.
Brentford fans may remember Smith from his early days as a young loanee from Ipswich Town.
In total, the centre-back made eight appearances for the Bees, notably remaining unbeaten in his five home games at Griffin Park, as he helped Andy Scott's side finish a creditable ninth in League One in 2009/10.
During his short stint in west London, Smith played in front of a young goalkeeper also destined for the international stage: Wojciech Szczęsny gaining valuable experience on loan from Arsenal at the start of an impressive career that saw him rack up 181 appearances for the Gunners prior to spells with Roma and current club Juventus in Serie A.
Looking back at that campaign, Brentford were League One's draw specialists - 20 of their 46 league games deadlocked. It is perhaps unsurprising, therefore, that half of Smith's appearances for the Bees ended all square, although he did feature in a 3-1 success on his debut against Carlisle and an impressive 4-0 win over Gillingham.
Born in England, Smith holds dual nationality having lived in New Zealand during his youth and he made his full international debut for the All Whites in March 2010, despite having previously represented the Three Lions at under-17 and under-18 level.
Smith subsequently played every minute for New Zealand at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the Kiwis falling short of the knockout stages despite recording three draws in a group containing Italy, Paraguay and Slovakia.
Although Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood has since taken the defender's place in the record books, Smith was, for a time, the youngest-ever captain of New Zealand after he wore the armband in a 2-2 draw against El Salvador in May 2012.
Now with 50 international caps under his belt, Smith is a senior member of Darren Bazeley's squad ahead of the big clash against Australia, but he will have extra motivation ahead of the encounter given how his last appearance in an All-White jersey panned out.
In a friendly stalemate against China in March of this year, Smith marshalled New Zealand's backline for 62 minutes until a mix-up with goalkeeper Oliver Sail saw him earn a straight red card for hauling down opposing forward Wu Lei.
What better way for Smith to bounce back than, on his return to TW8, to help New Zealand beat their rivals to lift the Ashes on Tuesday night
Matchday information
Hospitality opens at 6.15pm
The box office will be open all day. Tickets are still available. Purchase extra tickets until half-time
The Bees Superstore will be open for this game from 9am until kick-off at 7.45pm
General admission happy hour offers (available from 6.15-7.15pm)
All draught beers £4
All soft drinks £1.75
All sausage rolls and pies £4
Bundle offers (valid all match)
Pint and sausage roll or vegetarian pie from Four Corners £8.95
Confectionery item and soft drink from Griffin Kitchen £3.50
Hotdog (or vegan dog) and soft drink £6.25 (family area only)
Four-pint pitchers (£15 during happy hour) and Aussie meat pies are available for this game