“The only thing we can’t control is injuries and this is probably the high-risk point we have at the moment. If we can manage the bodies as best as possible, the tournament will go well.”
The SA men’s and women's teams are looking to break new ground on home soil at the sixth edition of the 12-team, six-a-side tournament.
Women’s captain Jess O’Connor hopes they can make the quarterfinals, having finished ninth in the 2015 edition.
That is unfamiliar territory for the men.
“We’ve never broken into the top 10,” said coach Justin Rosenberg. “Breaking into the top 10 guarantees two African teams at the next World Cup.
“As a realistic expectation, we’re looking to break into the top six.
The minimum goal is top 10, the big goal is top six, which we’re more than capable of doing. We’ve got a special group of guys. The youth and experience we’ve got, the time we’ve spent together ... it’s going to stand us in good stead.”
The outdoor side went to India with the ambition of making the quarterfinals, but key moments in key matches cost them.
“We did achieve really good things,” said Eustice. “We’re putting ourselves in a position where we are judging ourselves on the margins of error rather than how far behind we are.
“We didn’t achieve the results we really wanted, but we’re not far off.”
Rosenberg said there was no hangover from the disappointments of India. “When they landed here, you could see the camaraderie, the gees, the vibe among them.
“The guys are champing at the bit to get back on the pitch.”
The women open their account against Austria on Sunday morning, while the men face Australia, who finished fourth in 2018.
SA stars ready to switch to quick pace at Indoor Hockey World Cup
Sports reporter
Image: Supplied
Four of South Africa's key players at the Indoor Hockey World Cup in Pretoria from Sunday to February 11 will have to switch to the short format quickly after recently competing at the outdoor World Cup in India.
Captain Jethro Eustice admitted on Wednesday that he, Ryan Julius and the Cassiem brothers, Mustapha and Dayaan, faced a rare challenge.
“I think the difference is normally we’re used to going from an African Cup indoor to an outdoor series and then the level’s not as intense. Maybe this will be a bit of a tester.
“There’s no easy way to solve this. I don’t think there’s any other nation doing what we’re doing — playing two World Cups in four weeks, but we’ve seen the guys manage the transition,” said Eustice.
“The only thing we can’t control is injuries and this is probably the high-risk point we have at the moment. If we can manage the bodies as best as possible, the tournament will go well.”
The SA men’s and women's teams are looking to break new ground on home soil at the sixth edition of the 12-team, six-a-side tournament.
Women’s captain Jess O’Connor hopes they can make the quarterfinals, having finished ninth in the 2015 edition.
That is unfamiliar territory for the men.
“We’ve never broken into the top 10,” said coach Justin Rosenberg. “Breaking into the top 10 guarantees two African teams at the next World Cup.
“As a realistic expectation, we’re looking to break into the top six.
The minimum goal is top 10, the big goal is top six, which we’re more than capable of doing. We’ve got a special group of guys. The youth and experience we’ve got, the time we’ve spent together ... it’s going to stand us in good stead.”
The outdoor side went to India with the ambition of making the quarterfinals, but key moments in key matches cost them.
“We did achieve really good things,” said Eustice. “We’re putting ourselves in a position where we are judging ourselves on the margins of error rather than how far behind we are.
“We didn’t achieve the results we really wanted, but we’re not far off.”
Rosenberg said there was no hangover from the disappointments of India. “When they landed here, you could see the camaraderie, the gees, the vibe among them.
“The guys are champing at the bit to get back on the pitch.”
The women open their account against Austria on Sunday morning, while the men face Australia, who finished fourth in 2018.
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