Pretoria, Tshwane, South Africa: The SPAR South Africa women’s team suffered a tough final day in the sixth edition of the 2023 FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup, presented by SPAR, at the Heartfelt Arena in Pretoria on Saturday.
After losing to the formidable Netherlands team 6-1 in the semi-finals, the host nation was defeated 3-1 by the Czech Republic in the third-place playoff to nevertheless finish in a creditable fourth position.
The tournament draws to a climax later Saturday with Austria meeting the Netherlands in the men’s final at 8pm and the women’s final between the same two nations taking place at 9.30pm.
By finishing in the top six out of 12 teams – the men ended sixth – both captains Jess O’Connor and Jethro Eustice felt that indoor hockey had been given a boost on which it should capitalise.
The South African teams punched above their weight in terms of their world rankings as the men began the tournament at No 11 and the women were 14th.
Now the enthusiasm created by holding the World Cup in South Africa, the first time it has moved out of Europe, has them eagerly anticipating the future.
O’Connor said having the World Cup in South Africa was the best thing that could have happened to indoor hockey. “I think it’s so exciting and we have shown South Africa and the world that we are here to compete with the best,” she said, “and that indoor hockey is not just something on the side-lines. “We now need to work at getting more exposure going forward and to get more people to support the sport so we can continue to grow the game.”
Central to the expansion of the sport, both captains felt, was the need for greater exposure. “The more we are able to travel and to play international teams on a more regular basis, the better we will get,” O’Connor said. “So, we have to keep finding the level of competition to develop our games.”
After several disruptions in recent years, Eustice was satisfied with the progress the men’s team, powered by Tops at SPAR, had made. “Our record this week was two wins, two draws and two losses, so that’s a really good start after a long break through Covid and a cancelled World Cup, and I believe we have the potential to improve on this,” he said. “We need to follow the example of the ladies who have played more internationals and have received the exposure and confidence to compete at the highest level. “We don’t get to play the European nations that often, but with Argentina being competitive, Australia looking good and Namibia working to improve, that is something we can definitely look at.”
Both captains said the playing personnel were inspired by the success achieved this week. “We have a great culture in our team, and we are really like a family,” O’Connor said. “The spirit is unbelievable and it’s such a great feeling when you know everybody out there is fighting so hard for the person next to you.”
That positivity extended to the men’s team, confirmed Eustice, at 33 the elder statesman of the South Africa squad. “We currently have a strong group of players and not many guys will be thinking of retiring after this, so I believe it looks good for us to build on this going forward.”
Saturday’s results to date were:
Women
Semi-finals: Austria bt Czech Republic 1-0, Netherlands bt SA 6-1
3rd place: Czech Republic bt SA 3-1
9th place: United States bt Kazakhstan 5-1
11th place: New Zealand bt Namibia 4-3
Final, 9.30pm: Austria v Netherlands
Men
Semi-finals: Austria bt Iran 8-3, Netherlands bt US 7-3
3rd place playoff: Iran drew with US 2-2; Iran won 3-2 on penalties
9th place: Czech Republic bt Kazakhstan 5-2
11th place: Australia bt NZ 7-2
Final, 8pm: Austria v Netherlands
Ends.
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Captions:
Daniel de Oliveira 3- SPAR South Africa’s Daniela de Oliveira fires in a shot in their third place playoff match against the Czech Republic on the final day of the sixth FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup, presented by SPAR, at the Heartfelt Arena in Pretoria on Saturday. The Czechs won the match 3-1.
DSC09822- The SPAR South Africa women’s team sing the national anthem ahead of their third-place playoff match against the Czech Republic on the final day of the sixth FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup, presented by SPAR, at the Heartfelt Arena in Pretoria on Saturday. The Czechs won the match 3-1.
Photo Credit: Reg Caldecott
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