SA hockey teams off to a flyer at Nations Cup as women thrash Egypt and men down Kenya
International Hockey
The South African women downed hosts Egypt 10-0 as they began the defence of their Africa Cup of Nations title in style at the weekend.
Image: Jan van Zyl
South Africa’s women’s hockey team began their Africa Cup of Nations title defence with a commanding 10-0 victory over hosts Egypt in Ismailia, while the men finally got their campaign under way with a 3-1 win over Kenya.
The South African women wasted no time asserting their authority, leading 5-0 at half-time after taking the lead inside the opening three minutes through the first of veteran Thati Zulu’s goals – an emphatic reverse strike.
The hosts dug deep to resist the South African pressure in the third quarter, but the floodgates reopened in the final phase. There were braces for Taheera Augousti and Kayla de Waal, while Ntsopa Mokoena, Hannah Pearce, Ongeziwe Mali and Tegan Fourie also got on the scoresheet.
Mustapha Cassiem was once again on target for SA in the 3-1 win over Kenya.
Image: Jan van Zyl
The experienced South African side boasts nine members of the Paris 2024 Olympic squad, while Caylin Maree, Jeanri Thomas and Ane Janse van Vuuren earned their first senior international caps in the green and gold.
The reigning African champions delivered a clinical, confident display and now shift focus to Tuesday’s clash with Ghana. The South African men endured a frustrating start to their tournament after Zambia failed to honour their opening fixture, resulting in a 5-0 walkover.
After a cagey first quarter, the breakthrough against Kenya came midway through the second period. Captain Dayaan Cassiem linked brilliantly with his brother Mustapha, who fired a pinpoint pass across goal for Keenan Horne to finish superbly on the reverse stick.
The lead was doubled through a penalty corner as Mustapha Cassiem rifled home a drag flick to make it 2-0 at the half-time break.
Kenya, to their credit, fought back in the third quarter and pulled one back from a penalty corner. Any hopes of a Kenyan comeback were, however, quickly extinguished when Calvin Davis converted from another penalty corner with a low, hard finish to restore the two-goal cushion and seal a 3-1 win for the South Africans.
The defending champions will now turn their attention to a mouth-watering clash against hosts Egypt on Tuesday.
The tournament, running from October 11 to 18, doubles as the African qualifying event for the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup, with the champions in each division earning direct qualification for the showpiece.