France clinch hockey series
France clinched the series 3-0 after they beat South Africa 2-1 in the final men’s hockey Test at Wits Astro on Saturday.
SA trailed to a 12th-minute strike from Etienne Tynevez and were forced to work their socks off in the second quarter.
The third quarter was arguably their best of the series as wave after wave of attack was launched with Mo Mea orchestrating things down the right side.
Tyson Dlungwana, Taine Paton and Bili Ntuli featured regularly as SA surged forward looking for an equaliser. They were unable to find it.
The fourth quarter was a bit more balanced, but it was France who struck the killer blow with Charles Masson the man to confirm the victory.
There was time for one goal for the home crowd to get excited by and it was delivered by national captain Keenan Horne deflecting in a shot.
While the series may have given many positives, there will be concern for SA’s Mark Hopkins and his coaching staff over how many opportunities are being created against them.
Many of the chances arise when SA are in possession and there is a misplaced pass or an error. Fortunately, Gowan Jones and Rassie Pieterse were in fine form and Austin Smith, Jethro Eustice and Rhett Halkett consistently pulled off quality tackles when needed.
Though SA will be unhappy with the four penalty corners they gave away, there will be a greater sense of satisfaction that they handled all four well.
There will be lots of positives with the amount of chances created but a lot of focus needed on finishing. The likes of Julian Hykes, Dayaan Cassiem and Ntuli will not get 30 opportunities a match in India, so it is important that they find their range quickly.
The trio, along with Nic Spooner, produced some great excitement in batches during the series, much to the delight of the crowd.
After the game, Mea said: “It was a good series and it was good to be playing competitive hockey in preparation for the World Cup.
“We have had some great improvement and we are heading in the right direction.
“I would just like to say to the South African public, thank you for your support!”
Ultimately, SA would have been happy with the week. It was a first chance for this squad to train together against a well-coached and well-structured French squad.