Rhenish ready to hit the reset button and start afresh in 2025
The Rhenish Girls’ High School’s first hockey side enjoyed one of their most successful seasons in 2024 and laid claim to the number-one status in schoolgirls’ hockey in South Africa, but a new season and new challenges await.
The Western Cape side played a smart and exciting brand of hockey, which saw them record outstanding results throughout 2024.
Under the guidance of head coach Chris Gerber, Rhenish was close to unstoppable. They were fearless in attack and rock-solid defensively.
In the 50 matches they played, the Stellenbosch school scored a whopping 37 victories, just two losses, and 11 draws.
Captained by Leah du Plessis, at the end of the season the team won the prestigious Fairtree Super 12 title after finishing second at the All Girls Festival in Potchefstroom.
It was, however, in their weekly derby matches where Rhenish hit their stride and racked up bucketloads of goals.
They dominated the Western Cape, picking up wins over, among others, Paarl Girls’ High, Parel Vallei, HMS Bloemhof, and Herschel Girls School. Their only loss was against Paarl Gimnasium.
While it was an outstanding and memorable year for his team, coach Gerber knows success in 2024 does not guarantee success in 2025. “It’s extremely important for us to hit the reset button and start afresh in 2025,” he told SuperSport Schools Plus.
“The girls have taken on the challenge as they know it will be an even more difficult season in 2025. However, we are excited and ready for the challenges we’re going to face this season.”
One of the positives for Rhenish heading into the new season is that they bade farewell to only one player at the end of last season, Kaitlyn van Binsbergen.
That means Gerber will have the luxury of working with an experienced squad that understands what it takes to be the best. They can’t wait to get the ball rolling, he said.
“It’s fantastic to have the bulk of the team ready for this year,” he enthused.
“It’s massive to build on the platforms of last year. However, it’s not going to be easy. Everyone has improved and is looking to take that challenge to us.
“The girls are very eager to get going and build on the success of 2024.”
The number-one status in the country comes with its challenges, and every team is now gunning for Rhenish.
Building on the systems already in place will be crucial, but the coach believes working on team culture and getting everyone aligned will stand them in good stead.
“I think the main thing for us is to build on our culture and take the fight to every challenge that may come.
“We need to adapt and be comfortable when things aren’t going our way. Every school will have its own focus points and ideas.
“We are only focused on what we are doing and how we can improve. We need to be able to execute our plans and ideas as best as we can but ultimately play as a team and work towards our goals.”
Another key area coach Gerber wants his team to focus on for the forthcoming season is defence. Last season, Rehnish conceded only 17 goals while scoring 160, which was made up of 92 field goals, 60 penalty corners, and six penalty strokes.
“Defensively, we need to be up for everything,” he said. “I think teams are getting much better with their defensive systems.
“We need to see how we can break those down to create more opportunities and make sure we put them away, either by getting a PC or taking the field goal opportunity.
“We are not focused on just getting PCs. Taking opportunities when they present themselves is our main focus,” he concluded.
Rhenish’s fixtures for the 2025 season are yet to be confirmed.
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