SA ‘OPTIMISTIC’ AT WORLD CUP

THE South African men’s team will have the odds stacked heavily against them when they open their campaign against the host nation at the Hockey World Cup in India today.

The Proteas are among the lowest ranked nations at the global showpiece but the team goes into the tournament confident of pulling a rabbit out of the bag.

Ranked 15th in the world, the Proteas are the underdogs in Pool C which includes India, Belgium and Canada.

The team will have their toughest assignments in their opening two matches today and tomorrow.

India are ranked fifth in the world and will be hellbent on getting their opening match on home soil off to an emphatic start.

The hosts will have the added the pressure of playing at home and of winning their first world title since 1975.

South Africa will have their work cut out against Belgium, the third best team in the world.

Their third pool match against Canada, ranked four places ahead of them, could give them a bit of a reprieve.

The Proteas finished 11th at the previous edition in the Netherlands where they suffered four defeats, conceding 21 goals, while they managed a goalless draw against South Korea.

They beat Malaysia 6-2 in the 11th/12th-place playoff match to avoid the wooden spoon.

South Africa will feature at the World Cup for the sixth time where they will be looking to improve on their previous best 10th-place finishes from 2010 and 1994.

National coach Mark Hopkins, however, believed his charges had the potential to defy the odds and walk away with a big scalp or two.

“I am incredibly optimistic, I believe this group of athletes have the potential to come back from the World Cup as history makers,” Hopkins said.

“I am really challenging these athletes to land back in South Africa as the best hockey team the country has ever sent to the World Cup.”

The Proteas are fresh off a 4-0 series defeat to the French which was played in Johannesburg earlier this month.

They opened the series with a 2-2 draw before losing their remaining three matches 4-1, 3-1 and 2-1. | Ockert de Villiers