Tied at 1-1, it’s time for Paul Roos and SACS to settle the top team debate
Much has been said about the fierce rivalry between Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG), and South African College High School (SACS) this season.
Deemed by many to be the top hockey teams in the country, the Western Cape rivals have, for the most part, lived up to the pressures and expectations of those labels.
They’ve met twice already this season. In their first showdown, in the Hibbert Shield final in Gqeberha, Paul Roos came back from 0-3 down to draw 3-3, which took the game to a penalty shootout. That, then, went to sudden death, and PRG triumphed 6-5.
A week later, SACS exacted revenge, beating their opponents 6-2 at the Brewery.
This week, the two heavyweights will be presented with an opportunity to claim the bragging rights and, potentially, end the conversation about South Africa’s best in 2024.
On Wednesday night, they meet on the Maties AstroTurf in Stellenbosch, with the action starting at 18:10.
Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools and DStv Channel 216.
Ahead of the highly anticipated encounter, SuperSport Schools hockey writer, Avuyile Sawula, takes a deep dive into the teams’ form this season and looks at what each side will aim to execute to come out on top.
Seizing opportunities
Both coaches, Michael Baker (PRG) and Sam Holmes (SACS), will preach the importance of seizing opportunities and converting every chance created on Wednesday evening.
Past matches between the rivals have shown that it’s all about capitalising on opportunities, along with maintaining a solid defence and controlling the midfield. A perfect example of this would be the last time they met.
In that clash, SACS, despite going a goal down early on, made use of almost all of the opportunities they created on the night. They fired on all cylinders from penalty corners, put PRG under pressure in the second half, and tamed the roaring PRG lions.
Since that win, coach Holmes’ team has done a good job of turning chances into goals against their Western Cape opposition, although some may argue that they haven’t been tested and taken out of their comfort zone.
They’ll be wary of PRG, a side that has left many goals out on the park this season, but which has also, at times, scored freely.
After beginning their league season with a 0-1 defeat against Rondebosch, Paul Roos’s only other league defeat has been against SACS. Since then, they’ve been on an impeccable run despite not always playing to their full potential.
They did, however, show what they’re capable of doing when they overwhelmed Wynberg Boys High 7-1 last term. And that performance came in Stellenbosch, where they will face SACS.
Last week, they ground out a 2-0 win over a strong Bishops team, also at home, while SACS, as expected, beat Paarl Boys’ High, cruising to a 7-1 win.
The execution of penalty corners will be key. PRG, with Reuben Sendzul their primary drag flicker, had a slow start to the season with their set piece, but it has come to life in recent months.
Sendzul and his injectors – it alternates between Keith Siebrits and Callum van Oudsthoorn – along with the stoppers, will need to produce their A-game.
As for the visitors, they’ll turn to their dangermen, Litha Kraai and Reece Theunis, at PC time. Both players offer a cutting edge in open play and at the set piece.
Staying disciplined
Four quarters of hockey might appear to be quite short. However, if a team is a player or two down, it can become a long and arduous challenge.
Both sides will need to maintain their discipline and avoid putting themselves at a disadvantage. That’s easier said than done in what is likely to be a cauldron-like atmosphere.
It’s not rocket science. The team that has more players on the park for a longer duration in the game will find the scales tilted in their favour.
At crucial moments during the course of the season, both PRG and SACS have let themselves down with moments of indiscipline. Given the occasion and given the opposition, such indiscretions could be telling.
In their second meeting back in May, SACS’s SA Schools’ stars, Kraai and Theunis, were both shown yellow cards for dissension, which caused them to miss large parts of the third chukka.
Meanwhile, PRG’s Sendzul and Hano Basson were sent off for similar offenses, and goalkeeper Beor Van Reenen was shown a red card for a dangerous tackle on Kraai.
Throughout the season, country-wide, one of the most unfortunate trends has been that of players showing irritation towards umpires, questioning their decisions and backchatting them. Coaches Baker and Holmes will, no doubt, caution their players against such actions. Those could prove costly.
BMT- Big Match Temperament
The saying “big matches, big players,” will surely be to the fore when the two loaded teams do battle.
Teamwork has been at the heart of PRG’s and SACS’s successes this season, but the ability of some individuals to elevate their games on the biggest stage could make all the difference. BMT will be required.
Paul Roos is used to dealing with pressure situations, and that could work in their favour.
In the lead-up to the Hibbert Shield, they faced Grey High School in Gqeberha. They trailed 0-2 for the majority of that match before staging a furious finish to capture a 3-2 victory.
A week later, in the Hibbert Shield final, they were 0-3 down to SACS in double-quick time. They hung tough, however, to claw their way back into the contest and even the scores. Then, the won it from the penalty spot.
SACS has not faced similar adversity this season and been taken to the gutter. That, though, may be a testament to their dominance.
In most matches in which they’ve trailed, it’s been a 0-1 deficit, and credit to them, they have quickly overturned it and outscored their opponents to run away with the match.
Two southern suburbs teams, Bishops Diocesan College and Wynberg Boys High, gave them a tough time.
They drew 1-1 with Bishops and beat Wynberg 1-0, although they never looked like losing the latter encounter.
One of the keys for SACS will be their ability to fight, and a desire to battle back from behind if that’s what’s needed.
Their response to their loss to Paul Roos in the Hibbert Shield was a good one, and it came from a strong push in the fourth quarter of their clash at the Brewery.
TEAMS
Paul Roos: Beor Van Reenen, Hano Basson, Louan van Zyl, Logan Lackay, Daniel Lurie, Christo Swanepoel, Keith Siebrits, Joshua Smit, Callum van Oudsthoorn, Barend Geldenhuys, Reuben Sendzul (c), Ruben Gouws, Seth Paterson, Luke Oliver, Ruan Strauss.
SACS: Noah Venter, Jo Le Roux, Aiden Hughes, Dave Versfeld, Nick Paxton, Kevin Oosthuizen, Stéphan Meyer (c), Zac Redfern, Litha Kraai, Reece Theunis, Cohen Williams, Regan Wille, Cole Allam, Matthew Jones, Mike Mthunzi, Matthew Lassen.
