Is this the year South African men’s hockey makes its mark at the World Cup?

South Africa huddle during the Final match between South Africa and Ireland on day 5 of the FIH Hockey Nations Cup 2022 at North West University on December 04, 2022 in Potchefstroom, South Africa. (Photo by Nathier Sulaiman/Gallo Images)

By Cody Hansen

13 Jan 2023

The South African men’s side have never lived up to their potential at the Hockey World Cup, failing to progress past the group stages in six attempts. However, coming off a bumper 2022 season with a young squad to boot, this may be their year.

The 2023 FIH Odisha Men’s Hockey World Cup kicks off in India on Friday, with South Africa taking on Argentina in the first match.

The tournament is being hosted in India for the second consecutive edition, with matches from 13 to 29 January in the host cities of Bhubaneswar and Rourkela.

South Africa head into the event ranked 14th in the world, and have been drawn in Pool A, in what has been dubbed the “group of death”. It includes Australia, who are ranked No 1 in the world and have won the World Cup three times, Argentina, who are ranked seventh, and France, the 12th-ranked side.

The team that tops the group will automatically qualify for the quarterfinals, while the teams finishing second and third will qualify for “crossover” matches – essentially another round of matches to determine the remaining quarterfinalists.

In South Africa’s seventh men’s World Cup appearance they will be looking to advance past the group stages for the first time.

South Africa's Keenan Horne celebrates during the final against Ireland at the FIH Hockey Nations Cup 2022 in Potchefstroom on 4 December 2022. (Photo: Nathier Sulaiman / Gallo Images)

Tough reading

South Africa made their World Cup debut in 1994, in Pakistan. The team put on a respectable showing, securing four draws in five group-stage matches, losing only to eventual runners-up the Netherlands.

Finishing fifth out of six teams in the group stages, South Africa then defeated Belarus 3-2 in a crossover match to qualify for the playoff for ninth/10th place, where they lost 2-0 to Spain to finish the tournament 10th overall out of 12 nations. This is their best finish in the five men’s World Cups they have competed in since 1994. They came close to improving their record in 2010, but lost out on ninth place following a penalty shootout against New Zealand.

And South Africa’s recent form in World Cups makes for dismal reading.

Read in Daily Maverick: “SA men’s hockey side win Nations Cup, qualify for Pro League”

In 2018, they suffered heavy defeats against India and Belgium in the group stages, with their only point coming in the form of a draw against Canada. They finished last in their group, and due to a poor goal difference, dead last out of the 16 nations competing.

South Africa celebrates winning during the FIH Hockey Nations Cup 2022 final against Ireland. (Photo: Nathier Sulaiman / Gallo Images)

The 2014 edition wasn’t much better. South Africa finished last in Pool B, with one draw and four losses in five group matches, but went on to defeat Malaysia in a crossover match to finish 11th out of 12 nations.

However, despite the odds stacked against them in a difficult group and a dismal record at World Cups, recent form provides a glimmer of hope for the 2023 tournament.

In-form

The men’s side are coming off a 2022 season which turned out to be one of the most successful in the history of South African hockey.

South Africa got the year off to the perfect start by winning the 2022 Men’s Hockey Africa Cup of Nations, where they narrowly defeated Egypt in a penalty shootout in the final. The victory secured their place at the 2023 World Cup.

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They then put on a strong showing at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, finishing second in their group of five, which included a 3-2 victory over ninth-ranked New Zealand to advance to the semifinals. And in a very tight game which went down to the last second, they lost 3-2 to eventual runners-up India, who are currently ranked sixth in the world.

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Although they lost the third/fourth-place playoff to England, who are ranked fifth in the world, the fourth-place finish tied South Africa’s best finish at an international tournament.

However, the highlight of the year was still to come.

South Africa pulled off a surprise victory at the inaugural FIH Nations Cup held in Potchefstroom in December after defeating higher-ranked Ireland 4-3 in a thrilling final. On their way to victory they also defeated Korea (ranked 10) and France (12).

South Africa huddle during the FIH Hockey Nations Cup 2022 final against Ireland. (Photo: Nathier Sulaiman / Gallo Images)

The result meant they qualified for the 2023/24 season of the FIH Pro League, which is the highest level in international hockey, at which the 10 best hockey-playing nations in the world face off over a season to claim the ultimate title.

Raring to go

Under the leadership of interim head coach Cheslyn Gie, the South African World Cup squad of 18 features a mix of youth and experience.

The 33-year-old Jethro Eustice (166) is the highest-capped player in a side which features seven players under the age of 25, which includes captain Dayaan Cassiem (24) who has already represented the green and gold on 65 occasions.

“We are incredibly excited to get under way here in India. We are tremendously excited by the opportunity to represent our country and challenge the best nations in the world,” Cassiem told SuperSport.

“The SA Men will give it 100% from the first whistle to the last. We know we are playing for something bigger than ourselves.” DM

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Tough reading

In-form

Raring to go