There are no surprises that Australia has gotten through to the Oceania playoffs for the 2006 Soccer World Cup. What is surprising, though, is that my country of birth, the Solomon Islands, is currently in second place, ahead of New Zealand. Vanuatu shocked the All-Whites 4-2 the other day, meaning that the second spot in the playoff will probably now be decided on goal difference, assuming that the Solomons lose to Australia, and that New Zealand beat Fiji. I mention it now, because it would be a pretty big shock if NZ didn't go through, since their +10 goal difference is vastly superior to the Solomons' +3. Still, while there's life, there's hope.