Five players to watch at the Coastal Cup
The Belgotex Sport Coastal Cup, one of the biggest annual showcases of talent on the schoolboy hockey calendar, is almost upon us.
This year’s event, which starts on Friday, will feature 12 of the country’s top hockey-playing schools, up from 10 teams last year.
Included in the line-up are KZN’s Clifton College, Durban High School (DHS), Westville Boys’ High, Michaelhouse, and Glenwood High. Gauteng is represented by Die Hoërskool Menlopark, St Alban’s College and Hoërskool Garsfontein. Paarl Boys’ High and Paul Roos Gimnasium fly the flag for the Western Cape, and Pearson represents the Eastern Cape’s interests.
It is from them that we have identified some of the players to keep an eye on:
Josh Mungherera – Durban High School (DHS)
The DHS centre-forward was identified as someone with high potential at a young age and has lived up to that hype. He hails from Amanzimtoti and now, in his third season in the DHS 1st XI, he captains the side and leads from the front.
“Josh posts up as a forward exceptionally well and has a great eye for goal,” Keegan Hezlett, the DHS coach, shared.
Mungherera had an exceptional season in 2024, but he didn’t shine his brightest at the SASHOC National Week, thus missing out on the national squad after being selected for the SA u16 squad in 2023. His response was to put in more hours honing his craft in the off-season. The results are showing. Mungherera has started the season well, netting three times in DHS’s first two fixtures of the year.
Thandanani Zuma – Michaelhouse
The Michaelhouse midfielder, who is in grade 11, has a firm handle on the engine room. Zuma is lightning-quick and has exceptional control. He also has a penchant for getting into good positions, which makes him outstanding in one-on-one situations when defending. His tall and imposing figure lends him an excellent physical presence, which adds to his defensive game.
Zuma is also lethal up front. He was one of the top three goal-scorers at the u16 SASHOC National Week last year, with seven goals to his name. His exploits earned him a spot in the SA u16 team, and he was also included in the SA u17 side.
While he is yet to open his account this season, his first goal is, no doubt, just around the corner, and he has been in fine form for Michaelhouse in their opening two matches.
Luken Brunnette – Garsfontein
Luken Brunnette is a magician with long passes. With excellent judgement and deft touch, the Garsfontein defender is able to pick out any player on the turf. This makes him an invaluable team member when the Gauteng side goes on the counterattack, and he often catches the opposition flatfooted with his insightful passes. He is also one of the best drag flickers in schoolboy hockey in South Africa.
However, those are not his biggest strengths. Brunnette, who represented the SA u17 team in 2024, is in his third year with the Garsfontein first team because of his unparalleled defensive work. He is a rock-solid wall on defence, a presence that other teams have to circumvent rather than try to go through.
Zach Williamson – Clifton
Williamson has been part of the first team since grade nine and has over 70 caps for the first team. The Clifton captain was also a member of the KZN Coastal u18B team at the SASHOC National Week last year.
A midfielder, he displays outstanding leadership qualities on the field, rallying his teammates to lift their levels of performance by the example he sets each time they take to the field.
Williamson is a workhorse in or out of possession. His vision is an asset for Clifton when going forward, but he is equally as effective on defence. He is also a dangerman man as one of Clifton’s primary drag flickers.
Christo Swanepoel – Paul Roos
Swanepoel is into his third year with the Paul Roos first team. He’s an established midfield maestro, which earned him a place in the Boland u18A team that reached the final at the SASHOC National Week last year.
Towards the end of the year, he represented the SA u17 side in the Dato Mirnawan Cup in Malaysia. He also led Paul Roos to an unbeaten and dominating run at the Parel Vallei Festival earlier this month
Swanepoel is a calm, composed and experienced player. With those attributes, the Paul Roos skipper controls the midfield well, and links with the forwards excellently.
The consensus with all the above players is that they can lift the level of their teams with the examples that they set. They’re players to watch, both during the festival and further into the future.
