SA hockey teams set for testing tournament
the withdrawal of three-time winners Germany. Of the 12 men’s teams, the Netherlands at No 2 enjoys the highest world ranking, followed by Belgium (3) and Australia (4).
The Spar women’s team will be playing in Pool A along with the Netherlands, Austria, Australia, the US and New Zealand. Pool B teams are Ukraine, Czech Republic, Namibia, Kazakhstan, Belgium and Canada.
In recent years, the men’s team have upped their game and were crowned continental champions at the 2021 Men’s Indoor Africa Cup after defeating Namibia 4-1.
Mustaphaa Cassiem scored 18 goals in the competitiong. The Cassiem brothers, with Chad Futcher and Jethro Eustice, have all been named in the squad for the six-a-side tournament.
SA men’s indoor coach Justin Rosenberg feels the side will offer a strong defence.
“If we look at the pool that we find ourselves in, we have the likes of Iran, Czech Republic, USA, Argentina and Australia,” said Rosenberg. “Iran and the Czech Republic are two major powerhouses. Both had successful previous World Cups and finished high up in the placings.
“Our opening fixture is against Australia, who are coming off a great series against New Zealand, so we will need to stake our claim here.
“Our squad includes an amazing bunch of guys. It is a great mix of youth and experience.
“Our backs are strong with the likes of captain Jethro Eustice and the experienced Justin Domleo (42 caps). We also have some new guys in Dan Sibbald (13 caps) and Aiden Tun (20 caps) at the back and they know their way around.
“They are disciplined and are astute defenders. Our middlemen are magic.
“Up front, we are filled with flair, pace and thrill in Lungani Gabela and the Cassiem brothers. Chad Futcher is a towering man who can flick from any angle.
“In the goalkeeping department, we have Anton van Loggerenberg and Bongumusa Mngoma who are absolutely amazing.”
Two seasons ago the SA women were runners-up in the 2021 Indoor Africa Cup, with Namibia defeating the host nation 2-0 in the final in Durban.
Tegan Fourie, who is in the SA squad, was the competition's top scorer with 20 goals.
Also on the side is Edith Molikoe, another prolific scorer for South Africa. Together with Fourie, they form a terrific attacking spearhead.
“We find ourselves in the more difficult pool with the Netherlands and Australia ranked in the top three,” said SA women’s indoor coach Lennie Botha. “Playing those two teams is a challenge for all participating teams.
“Our team has been together for some time now, and thanks to sponsors Spar, we have managed to play a few of the countries and do some tours. We were able to blood some new players.
“We have a mixture of three very experienced players and some youngsters who have been in the system for two years. They have some international hockey time under their belts.
“Our players know what to expect. We are in a good space and I believe we are going to be competitive.
“Playing in this tournament is an honour and accomplishment for the players and coaching staff.
“We can learn from the experience and if we play as we can, we will make it difficult for teams to beat us. We need to trust ourselves, our structure and our preparation thus far.”
The tournament starts tomorrow at 8.30am and continues until next Saturday when the men’s and women’s finals will be played.