TUESDAY, 16 JUNE 2026
SOUTH AFRICA REACH HOCKEY SEMIS FINALS IN DRAMATIC SHOWDOWN WITH IRELAND
- France outguns the USA through Charlet’s hat-trick
Cape Town, South Africa: In a match brimming with drama and passion, South Africa secured a thrilling 3-3 draw with Ireland to book their place in the semifinals of the FIH Men’s Hockey Nations Cup at Hartleyvale Stadium in Cape Town on Tuesday.
With a last four berth at stake, neither side were prepared to back down. It appeared South Africa had snatched victory when Calvin Davis converted a penalty corner to put the hosts 3-2 ahead with just under three minutes remaining.
But Ireland have not climbed to ninth in the world rankings without possessing remarkable fighting spirit. Barely a minute later, they earned a penalty corner of their own and, following a frantic scramble in the circle, Ben Nelson applied the finishing touch to level the scores.
Ireland then threw everything forward in a desperate search for a winner, but to the delight of the vocal home crowd, South Africa held firm to secure second place in Pool A.
The teams finished level on four points overall, but South Africa advanced to the semifinals courtesy of a superior goal difference of one.
South Africa coach Devon van der Merwe was delighted with the commitment shown by his players in what was effectively a knockout encounter.
“That was pretty cool,” he said. “The number of opportunities we created by getting into the right areas has been a big focus for us during this phase.
“Today was essentially a quarterfinal and a must-win game for us. We understood that a draw would be enough, but we certainly didn’t play for a draw.
“To put ourselves in this situation and under pressure as we work towards the World Cup was important for us.
“I really enjoyed the way the boys applied themselves, the energy they brought and the level of play they produced tonight.
“There are some areas we will look at going forward and tonight showed us what we can work on.
“We’re very happy to make the semifinals. This time last year we were struggling, but now we’re in the top four and that’s something to celebrate. We’re delighted to have the opportunity and we’ll take it one game at a time.”
Despite being pushed hard by the United States for much of the contest, France maintained their impressive form by raising the intensity in the second half to claim a convincing 4-1 victory, finishing top of Pool B.
The Americans were courageous and matched France for 33 minutes, with the sides level at 1-1 early in the third quarter, but the pressure created by the French eventually proved decisive.
France earned eight penalty corners in the second half and the clinical Victor Charlet capitalised, completing a hat-trick to put daylight between the teams.
Xavier Esmenjaud had opened the scoring for France before the United States responded immediately through Sekayi Charasika.
French coach John-John Dohmen praised his side’s response after a sluggish opening.
“I think it was a very good performance in the second half and a very bad one in the first half,” he said.
“The US were very good tactically in the first half and we were sleeping a bit. In the second half we upped the tempo and attacked a lot, so I am really happy with that part of the game.
“We are proud to have nine points from three games and to be in the semifinals, but the most important matches are still to come.”
In the first match of the day, New Zealand made it a memorable occasion by registering an emphatic 5-1 victory over Malaysia.
The Black Sticks not only booked their place in the semifinals, but also celebrated several milestones, with midfielder Aidan Sarikaya earning his 100th international cap.
Charlie Morrison made his 50th appearance for New Zealand, while penalty-corner specialist Kane Russell scored twice to move to 99 international goals, leaving him tantalisingly close to the century mark.
Reflecting on his achievement, the 29-year-old Sarikaya described the occasion as “pretty awesome”.
“Playing my first game, and then reaching this milestone, is something I will always cherish because I never imagined at the start that I would get to 100 caps,” he said.
“I’m from a part of the country where not many players go on to play 100 games for New Zealand, so this was a really special moment.”
Russell broke the deadlock from a penalty corner in the 19th minute before Dylan Thomas doubled the advantage two minutes later. Although Mohamad Anuar Esook pulled a goal back late on for Malaysia, New Zealand remained firmly in control to complete another impressive victory.
In the second fixture of the day, Scotland finally found their best form after three successive defeats, defeating Korea 4-2 in a morale-boosting victory.
Jamie Golden led the way with a brace of goals as the Scots withstood intense late pressure from the Koreans, who fought desperately to close the gap.
Captain Robert Field was pleased to see his side rewarded for their improvement throughout the tournament.
“It’s nice to get a win because I feel like we’ve been getting better and better as the tournament has gone on,” he said.
“It was good that some things clicked today and that we were able to score some goals, which was really important.”
Scorers:
Pool A
New Zealand 5 (Kane Russell 2, Dylan Thomas, Isaac Houlbrooke, Jonty Elmes); Malaysia 1 (Mohamad Anuar Esook).
Scotland 4 (Jamie Golden 2, Euan Gilmour, Cameron Golden); Korea 2 (Jaewon Sim, Cheoleon Park).
Pool B
South Africa 3 (Kenton Melville, Calvin Davis, Carlon Mentoor); Ireland 3 (Daragh Walsh, Ben Nelson 2)
France 4 (Xavier Esmenjaud, Victor Charlet 3, ); US 1 (Sekayi Charasika).
The latest standings are (matches in brackets):
Pool A: New Zealand 9 (3), Japan 7 (3), Scotland 3 (4), Malaysia 3 (3), Korea 1 (3).
Pool B: France 9 (3), South Africa 4 (3), Ireland 4 (3), United States 0 (3). SA finished above Ireland on goal difference of one.
Ends.
FREE TO USE PICTURES WITH CAPTIONS
USA vs France 1 – Hans Kaeppeler of the USA on the run against France in the 2026 FIH Men’s Hockey Nations Cup being played at the Hartleyvale Stadium in Cape Town on Tuesday 16 June 2026. France beat the USA 4-1 to remain unbeaten in the tournament and qualify for the semifinals on Friday.
USA vs France 2 – Victor Charlet of France scores one of three goals in his countries 4-1 over the USA at the 2026 FIH Men’s Hockey Nations Cup being played at the Hartleyvale Stadium in Cape Town on Tuesday 16 June 2026.
SA vs IRELAND 1 – South Africa’s Carlon Mentoor celebrates after scoring a goal against Ireland in the 2026 FIH Men’s Hockey Nations Cup being played at the Hartleyvale Stadium in Cape Town on Tuesday 16 June 2026. Celebrating with Mentoor are teammates from left to right, captain Dayaan Cassiem, Samkelo Mvimbi and Niel Raath. South Africa drew 3-3 with Ireland. South Africa progresses to Friday’s semifinals by goal difference.
SA vs IRELAND 2 – Gregory Williams of Ireland drag flicking a penalty corner against South Africa at the 2026 FIH Men’s Hockey Nations Cup being played at the Hartleyvale Stadium in Cape Town on Tuesday 16 June 2026. South Africa drew 3-3 with Ireland. South Africa progresses to Friday’s semifinals by goal difference.
SA vs IRELAND 3 – South Africa’s captain Dayaan Cassiem on the run against Ireland at the 2026 FIH Men’s Hockey Nations Cup being played at the Hartleyvale Stadium in Cape Town on Tuesday 16 June 2026. South Africa drew 3-3 with Ireland. South Africa progresses to Friday’s semifinals by goal difference.
Photo credits: Ray Chaplin Sports Media
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