Western Cape derby showdown in SASHOC National Week semis
Western Cape sides, Boland A and Western Province A, will renew their rivalry when they lock horns in the u18 SASHOC National Week semi-finals on Friday morning.
They’re set to do battle for a place in the final at 10:50, on Pape’s Astro, at Maritzburg College.
The hockey showpiece, which began on Monday, is hurtling towards the business end, with the final, to be contested on Saturday.
“We are feeling prepared and excited to be in the semis. We are expecting to play a well-coached and structured team. It will be a tough game as they always seem to put it together when it counts,” Leah du Plessis, the Boland captain, told SuperSport Schools Plus.
The Boland skipper has enjoyed a fruitful inter-provincial tournament and lies third on the leaderboard of leading goal-scorers, behind Eastern Province A‘s Abigail Holderness and Southern Gauteng A‘s Amber Fairon.
The 2025 event has also brought an improved showing out of Boland, who finish fifth in 2024. “Last year was very disheartening as we could not score, even though we had a good team on paper. This year we have worked on finer moves to attack as a team and also to support in various situations.,” Du Plessis said.
“Our coaching staff has also played a big role in our success by ensuring that we are physically and mentally prepared for each game.”
Du Plessis and her teammates will need to be at their best because their opponents are highly motivated and playing good hockey. Like Boland, Province did not do well last year, when they finished seventh.
Coach Natalie Esteves‘s side has been performing like a well-oiled machine this time around, though, and, with a record of three wins and two draws, is one of two unbeaten sides at the tournament, along with Eastern Province A, who were undefeated in Pool A.
Province has been sound on both attack and defence, scoring 15 goals and conceding only three, although all three came in Thursday’s clash with KZN Coastal A, which ended in a pulsating 3-3 draw.
Emma Hibbert opened the scoring for Province with a goal in the ninth minute. That strike was followed by a long period of both sides trading blows without being able to prise open the opposing defence.
Eventually, Samantha Flint doubled Province’s lead after 38 minutes of play with a penalty corner conversion. That two-goal cushion didn’t last long, though, and Jenna-Leigh Freese pulled a goal back six minutes later. Zezethu Kunene, who has been one of Coastal’s leading goal-scorers, equalised with 10 minutes left on the clock.
Province responded well and bagged a third goal only two minutes later through Isabella Amm, but KZN Coastal kept taking it to Province and they restored parity through a reverse stick flick over the ‘keeper by Jamie da Silva two minutes after Amm’s goal.
Boland, on the other hand, finished in second place in Pool A. Coach Chris Gerber‘s side won four of their five matches, only dropping points in a 1-2 defeat to Eastern Province.
On Thursday, Boland completed their pool assignments with a 3-1 triumph over the defending champions, Southern Gauteng A.
“The girls showed great composure. We went down in the first five minutes, and the pressure was on us. But the team kept pushing through. They trusted the system, kept faith in the game plan,” Gerber told SuperSport Schools Plus.
It took only three minutes for Azania Petersen to put Southerns ahead, but Boland stuck to their game plan and Pippa Viljoen levelled the scores in the 12th minute.
“The team has been really good when it comes to scoring goals when it matters,” Gerber said. “That’s what they did today.”
For the next half-an-hour, it was all-square at 1-1. Then, Skylar Bougaard broke the stalemate with a field goal to put Boland into the lead. Du Plessis, who has masterfully led the side, put her stamp on the tie when she scored Boland’s third in the last minute of play.
Contests between Boland and Province have traditionally been enthralling. Last year, when they met late in the tournament, with neither side in the running for the title, they still produced a humdinger. with Boland edging out Western Province 2-1 in that encounter.
Gerber’s side will be keen to build on that history as they pursue a place in the final. Province, meanwhile, will be determined to maintain their unbeaten run at the SASHOC National Week and, thus, secure their place in the title game.
Results
Pool B
Northern Gauteng A: 3 – Lisa Grey, Amogelang Motlatle, Mia Pretorius. KZN Inland: 2 – Jasmin Kelly, Annabelle Balmer.
Western Province B: 2 – Anjum Kazie, Tatum Malherbe. Border A: 2 – Kishka Baartman, Busiwe Mayekiso.
KZN Coastal A: 3 – Jenna-Leigh Freese, Jamie da Silva, Zezethu Kunene. Western Province A: 3 – Samantha Flint, Isabelle Amm, Emma Hibbert.
KZN Inland A: 1 – Jasmin Kelly. Western Province B: 0.
Pool A
Boland A: 3 – Pippa Viljoen, Leah du Plessis, Skylar Bougaard. Southern Gauteng A: 1 – Azania Petersen.
Southern Free State A: 4 – Bianca Rees-Gibbs (2), Carli Oosthuizen (2). Southern Gauteng B: 1 – Juliet Horton.
Eastern Province A: 1 – Mike Holder. Northern Gauteng B: 0.
