Namibia, South Africa renew indoor hockey rivalry in Windhoek

Hockey
Namibia welcomes continental rivals South Africa for a five-match series in Windhoek, with the opening Test set for today.
Brian Munango
  • 1 Hour Ago

Namibia and South Africa renew their fierce rivalry today when the two leading African women’s indoor hockey nations meet in the opening match of a five-Test series in Windhoek.

The Namibia Hockey Union (NHU) is hosting the South African women’s team at the Sports Facilitation Centre (Showgrounds), with the five matches to be played over three action-packed days.

Namibia, ranked first in Africa and eighth in the world, will face a South African side ranked second in Africa and ninth globally, setting the stage for a high-quality contest between two of the continent’s strongest indoor hockey nations.

The opening Test gets underway at 19:00 today, followed by two matches on Saturday at 12:00 and 19:30. The series concludes on Sunday with Tests at 11:00 and 17:00.


Namibia’s 13-player squad includes Petro Stoffberg, Anri Jacobs, Amber Dercksen, Leila Grögl, Tamara Grögl, Gillian Hermanus, Ottilie Hinda, Jahntwa Kruger, Sunelle Pretorius, Marika Neethling, Azaylee Philander, Abigail Rowles and Jivanka Kruger.


South Africa have selected a 14-player SPAR Women’s Indoor Hockey squad that combines experienced internationals with four players set to make their senior international debuts.

Anja Tromp, Manisha Desai, Jodie Blows and Jehan Abrahams are all in line to earn their first caps for South Africa.

They will be supported by an experienced core led by Jamie Southgate, who has 111 international caps, while Edith Molikoe has 85 caps and Tegan Fourie has 81.

The squad also includes Malikah Hamza (36 caps), Sarah Paget (27), Cailynn den Bakker (24), Bonolo Moabi (20), Cerian Fourie (9), Elizabeth Porter (9) and Chelsey Woolf (6).


For South Africa, the series provides an opportunity to strengthen combinations, expose emerging players to international competition and continue developing their high-intensity style.

For Namibia, the five Tests offer valuable international exposure against their closest continental rivals, while home advantage could prove important in what is expected to be a tightly contested series.


With only one place separating the two sides in both the African and world rankings, the opening encounter promises to be a stern test for both teams as Namibia and South Africa battle for continental bragging rights.


Five-Test schedule

  • Today: Namibia vs South Africa – 19:00
  • Saturday: Namibia vs South Africa – 12:00
  • Saturday: Namibia vs South Africa – 19:30
  • Sunday: Namibia vs South Africa – 11:00
  • Sunday: Namibia vs South Africa – 17:00

Venue: Sports Facilitation Centre (Showgrounds), Windhoek.