SA no match for visitors

If the South African men’s hockey team produce many more displays like they did yesterday in being hammered 4-1 by France at the Wits University astro then they really will be struggling for funding even more than they are at the moment.

Playing with donation boxes towards their World Cup trip to India later this month around the venue, South Africa regressed after holding France to a 2-2 draw in the first Test the previous day.

The French are only ranked 20th in the world to South Africa’s 15th, but the home side were only playing their seventh Test of the year, compared to the visitors donning their white-and-blue outfits for the 19th time in 2018.

France had also threatened several times and when they did finally score, they made it two goals in two minutes. Which is the sort of thing South Africa definitely cannot afford at the World Cup.

Both goals came from loose balls in the South African half, with Timothee Clement first pouncing on possession, beating a defender and then finishing well, before Charles Masson claimed another turnover in possession and Maximillen Branicki finished superbly with a reverse-sticks rocket into the far corner of the goal.

France are certainly a team on the rise and they sealed the victory with two well-taken short-corner goals by captain Victor Charlet (above) in the third quarter.

South Africa gained a consolation goal with a minute remaining as veteran Julian Hykes showed what a fine finisher he still is as he rounded off an excellent short-corner variation.