SuperSport Schools Plus

Epic FNB Classic Clash on the cards as Eldoraigne visits Zwartkop

By Avuyile Sawula , in Hockey | Featured Hockey | News , at 2024-05-16 Tags: , ,

Photo credits: Hoërskool Eldoraigne

A Pretoria derby will capture the spotlight this weekend when Hoërskool Zwartkop plays host to Hoërskool Eldoraigne in their annual FNB Classic Clash at the Zwartkop Astroturf on Friday night.

The opening push-back happens at 18:20, and you can catch all the hockey action on SuperSport Schools.

Eldoraigne heads into the contest chasing a second straight win against the hosts.

In last year’s encounter, coach Stefan Coertzen’s side was victorious, claiming a 2-0 victory. In 2022, it ended 1-1, while Zwartkop scored a narrow 1-0 win in 2021.

“The Classic Clash is always an exceptional occasion between the two schools,” Coertzen told SuperSport Schools Plus ahead of the game.

“It is always a very competitive match, with both sides having to adapt to the roaring crowds and festivities around the Astro.

“We will have to stay humble and not let the game get too big, keep believing in ourselves. We need to stick to our principles and be adaptable to every situation.”

The teams have had contrasting starts to the season, with Zwartkop finding the going tough, while their opponents, despite a slow pre-season, have hit their stride.

In their last three outings, Zwartkop lost 1-3 to Menlopark and 0-2 against Pietersburg in the 3rd/4th NWU Prestige Competition playoff, but they won 2-0 win against Sutherland High School.

Their opponents, on the flip side, have been scoring with ease in recent weeks. They thumped Oos-Moot 11-0 and Transvalia 5-0 earlier in the season, but Affies stopped the side from Centurion, handing them a 0-2 defeat.

In their most recent matches, Eldoraigne cruised to a 6-0 victory over Sutherland and edged out Montana 3-2. Based on past results, they should be considered the favourites ahead of Saturday’s big game.

Earlier in the season, Eldoraigne was in action at the KES Easter Festival. Coertzen believes those matches helped his team’s development.

⁠”Taking part in the KES Easter Festival accelerated the growth of the team,” he said. “The results might have not gone our way, but the way we managed to compete with some of the top hockey schools in South Africa shows that the boys improved very quickly for the pre-season period.”

Photo credits: Hoërskool Zwartkop

The hosts know they will need to show character and grit in front of their home supporters. It’s going to be a stern test of their skills.

They will be able to draw inspiration from some of their more impressive showing this season, including a 5-0 win over Marais Viljoen.

They will look to Douw Nel, who is in grade 10 and made the provincial side, to help steer their challenge.

Rochè Oberholzer, who was selected for the Northerns’ men’s indoor B team, is an experienced player who will be key, as their general, in the middle of the park.

The visitors will look to their leadership group to step up in a hostile environment. Skipper Kade Poonasamy alongside the team’s three vice-captains – Markus Zeelie, Ewan van der Walt, and Christian Ruytenberg – are some of the players to keep an eye on.

TEAMS

Zwartkop: Jaden Hefer, Marnu Mulder, Douw Nel, Jordan Cooks, Roché Oberholzer, Handré Coetzee, Divan Coertze, Gerhard Scheepers, Luan de Jager, Edrich Grobler, Gareth Jooste, Handru Dickinson (c), Henko Zaayman, Juan Dempers, Emile Rossouw, MJ van der Nest

Eldoraigne: Aiden Troskie, Christian Ruytenberg, Daniël Fourie, Duncan Eloff, Ewan van der Walt, Hanco Nel, Iwan Thompson, Daniel Beneke, Kade Poonasamy (c), Leon Wiesemann, Markus Zeelie, Nathan van Zyl, Nico Jansen van Rensburg, Ruan van den Berg, Sean Jones, Stefan Malan, Jordaan Otto, Tyron Bouwer

NOORDVAAL FIXTURES

Friday, 17 May

17:30 – Garsfontein vs Cornwall
18:20 – Zwartkop vs Eldoraigne
17:50 – Menlopark vs Waterkloof

Avuyile Sawula
error: Sorry ol' chap, those shenanigans are not permissible.