Rhenish kick off bumper season in style in East London
Rhenish Girls’ High School was one of the standout teams at the Greg Beling Hockey Festival in East London over the past weekend, picking up five convincing wins and remaining unbeaten, to set themselves up as one of the teams to watch out for this season.
After a jam-packed pre-season, Rhenish made the trip down to East London high in confidence, following three warm-up matches against Wynberg Girls, Springfield, and Fairmont High School respectively.
In the coastal city, they were pitted up against some of the country’s best. However, Coach Chris Gerber’s side defied the odds and showed grit, determination, and maturity to set themselves apart as one of the truly elite teams.
They employed an exciting attacking and attractive style of play, while remaining solid and secure at the back.
Their first match of the festival was on Thursday night against one of the hosts, Clarendon High School for Girls.
There, Rhenish took early control and comfortably picked up a 4-1 win to set themselves up nicely for the busy weekend that lay ahead.
On the second day of the festival, coach Gerber’s side faced a testing schedule, taking on DSG, from Makhanda, and Eunice, from Bloemfontein.
The Stellenbosch side, however, rolled on, attacking both matches with intent, and scoring some eye-catching team goals. Against DSG, they walked away with a 3-0 win before defusing Eunice’s challenge in an emphatic statement-making 5-1 victory, which, no doubt, made hockey enthusiasts sit up and take notice.
They concluded their campaign on Saturday by scoring nine in two matches without conceding. First up, they beat Gqeberha’s Pearson 5-0, before handing coach Nicolene Terblanche’s Affies side a 4-0 defeat.
Reacting to his side’s performances, Gerber said he was delighted with how his team had stepped up on the big stage. Of course, there is always room for improvement, he admitted.
“I am extremely proud of what the girls have achieved in such a short space of time,” he told SuperSport Schools.
“This young group has stepped up and performed exceptionally well at the Greg Beling Festival. They have shown true character and determination throughout the festival.
“Each player has applied themselves in every aspect, and the true reflection is that they are not playing for themselves but for the team. Every goal we scored was a real team effort and all the credit must go to the players for this.”
The festival, just like any other tournament, would have revealed to coaches where their teams stand in terms of fitness levels, skill sets, and combinations heading into the new season.
After working on several key focus areas during the weekend, the coach believes there’s more his team can offer in what promises to be an exhilarating season.
“We did improve after each game; however, we still have so much room for improvement and the growth that this team still can make makes me excited for what’s to come,” he added enthusiastically.
“They can achieve great things with the hard work and dedication they put in. The small gains we have made will aid us as the season goes on.
“We will reassess in the coming weeks where we are and where we would like to be going, to keep striving for excellence.”
Like some of the others top teams in the country, Rhenish lost a handful of senior players last year and was forced to regroup for 2024.
Luckily for the Stellenbosch side, they can still rely on the experience of Kaitlyn van Binsbergen and Jasmine Aitken, who recently reached 100 caps for the senior side.
Their skipper, Leah Du Plessis, will also be influential as the team attempts to build its own identity, said Gerber.
“The progress that we have made early on is to create our own identity on and off the field.
“We lost a couple of senior players last year and this is a completely new, exciting young team, so to create our own identity on and off the field is something that we will keep working on.
“We can improve on our decision-making under pressure to assist us in the long run.
“We are focused on small, simple things while working on our roles and responsibilities for us to keep on improving.”
When asked which players to look out for during the season, Gerber found it challenging to single out anyone. He preferred to give credit to the team as a unit, although he eventually did name a standout for the Greg Beling Festival.
“It’s very difficult to single out individuals as the whole team contributed to every single game, from the forwards to defenders, but there is one player that has really made a big difference.
“Lily Newton has converted from being a striker to playing as a defender, and she has excelled so much with her cool, calm, and collected approach. She really was one that stood out during the festival.”
After their dominant run in East London, the Stellenbosch girls will head to one of the country’s most prestigious events in April, the St Mary’s Hockey Festival, full of confidence that they’re equipped and ready to meet the challenges posed by the rest of South Africa’s elite teams.
Rhenish result from Greg Beling Festival:
Rhenish 4-1 Clarendon
Rhenish 3-0 DSG Makhanda
Rhenish 5-1 Eunice
Rhenish 4-0 Pearson High School
Rhenish 4-0 Affies Girls
