SA women’s hockey team can score big from FIH Nations Cup 2 in Poland
Hockey
South Africa's Edith Molikoe will ravel to Poland with the Proteas. Photo: AFP
Image: AFP
The South African women's hockey squad is preparing for next month's crucial FIH Nations Cup 2 in Poland, which offers emerging teams the opportunity to gain promotion.
The South Africans will join national teams of hosts Poland, Malaysia and Uruguay in Walcz from June 16 to 22. The tournament is a stepping stone on the road to next year's World Cup and a pathway to the FIH Nations Cup.
"We are offered an opportunity to play against teams that are closely ranked with us which, of course, is a chance for us to see where we're at in relation to that bracket of teams and to also try to create performances that move us up the rankings," said the SA team's head coach, Inky Zondi.
"It's also our first official FIH event in this cycle that we started at the beginning of this year, so we look forward to that and seeing how we go along.
South Africa's Onthatile Zulu will bring her experience from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games to the SA squad that will take part in the FIH Nations Cup 2 in Poland next month.
Image: Juien de Rosa/AFP
"We spent quite a bit of time the last three or four months working on our philosophy and style of play, improving from camp-to-camp and opportunity to opportunity, maximising the time we're together. So we hope that we present ourselves as a team that is forward thinking.
"A big focus for us has been our defensive organisation and the type of chances we want to create with the ball, and also be more of a threat at penalty corners."
The national team's last big engagement was their successful tour of Malaysia. They won that four-Test series 3-1.
"The last tour to Malaysia was a big opportunity for us. It allowed us the opportunity to play against opposition that we will face in Nations Cup 2 but also to start sharing our ideas and thoughts as a coaching team with the players.
"Expanding the depth of understanding and knowledge within our squad and creating combinations was really positive for us," Zondi added.
The squad features a blend of seasoned internationals and promising talent. Paris 2024 Olympians such as Edith Molikoe, Hannah Pearce, Ntsopa Mokoena, Onthatile Zulu, and Ongeziwe Mali bring valuable experience to the team.
Players like Tegan Fourie and Cailynn den Bakker both also featured at the FIH Indoor World Cup alongside SA Indoor Hockey Women's Player of the Year Daniella de Oliveira, Kayla de Waal and Molikoe.
FIH Nations Cup 2 fixtures
June 16: v Uruguay
June 17: v Malaysia
June 19: v Poland