Wood was aged just 18 years 187 days when he took the field against Slovakia as a second-half substitute. Rufer was nearly a year older at 19 years 168 days when he crossed the white line against Scotland in Spain in 1982.
West Bromwich Albion rookie Wood is proud to have added yet another impressive milestone to his ever-growing list.
“It’s an honour to be the youngest ever player to have featured in a World Cup for both club and country,” he wrote in his blog on the West Brom website, available at www.wba.co.uk
“It’s all taking a bit of sinking in. But it’s an amazing experience and a great achievement for me. I’m over the moon.”
Wood thought he had a decent chance of getting some game time and was “hoping and praying” for coach Ricki Hebert to give him the nod.
“I warmed up for around 10 minutes, then he called me over and told me I was going on with about 20 minutes to go. I just wanted to get out there and experience it.”
He will never forget the moment Winston Reid got his head to the ball for that now-famous last-gasp equaliser.
“To get that goal in the 93rd minute was amazing,” he says.
“The feeling of celebrating in front of our fans was even better. To come back after conceding a soft goal and show our fighting spirit is something we’re proud of.”
Wood swapped shirts with West Brom team mate Marek Cech after the final whistle.
“We had a few tussles during the match. We had a nice little chat afterwards and said good luck to each other,” he says.
“I’ve got three of four shirts that I’ve swapped with players now in my short career. But Marek’s is the one I will treasure most. It’s a great memento to have from such a special day.”
Wood says the All Whites’ dressing room at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium got a bit rowdy post-match.
“We congratulated each other and had a bit of a sing-song. But it was nothing too major as it is only a point. If it had been three points we would have been celebrating very much.
“When we left the stadium it was on the bus and straight back to our training base. We all sat down to dinner and enjoyed a nice, relaxing meal.
“Everyone just soaked in the atmosphere. It was nice to have a think back over what we’ve achieved.”
But Wood says it wasn’t long before thoughts started turning towards future events.
“Now we’re focusing on the Italy game on Sunday – and the hard work starts all over again.”
He thinks New Zealand team has every chance of extending their stay in South Africa by making it past the group stages.
“We’re hoping to push on now and get more points. The group is wide open after every team drew 1-1 in the first games. You never know what could happen in the next match and it’s all about preparing right.”