KUALA LUMPUR — South Africa’s head coach, Devon van der Merwe, has identified the upcoming Africa Cup as the team’s primary goal for the year, describing the Nations Cup as a valuable opportunity to develop his young and relatively inexperienced squad.
Devon spoke after South Africa’s 1-0 defeat to world No.14 South Korea in their final Group A match at the National Hockey Stadium today — a result that confirmed their early exit from the tournament without a win.
The team, affectionately known as Ama Stokke Stokke by their supporters, finished bottom of the group with just one point from three matches.
“We’re obviously disappointed with the result, but I’m incredibly proud of the boys,” Devon told Scoop after the match.
“They played really well—we took the game to the Koreans and created several chances. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t finish.”
With an average age of just 22, South Africa brought six debutants to Kuala Lumpur for their first senior international appearances, as many senior players were unavailable for the tour.
“This is the best available team we could bring to the Nations Cup,” Devon said.
“We’ve used this opportunity to expose our younger players to high-level international hockey. They’ve brought great energy, both on and off the field, and their fearless attitude is something I truly admire.”
He was particularly encouraged by how the youthful side embraced South Africa’s attacking identity, despite the testing conditions and high-quality opposition.
“They’re not afraid to take chances. They’re brave, and that’s exactly what we want in South African hockey—a style that’s fast, aggressive, and unrelenting. These matches, even though the results didn’t go our way, are invaluable in shaping that mindset.”
Looking ahead, Devon said the Africa Cup — scheduled for October — will be the team’s key focus. The tournament serves as both a regional championship and a selection trial for his full-strength squad.
“We’ll regroup back home and prepare for the Africa Cup. That tournament is our main target. We hope to have our experienced and best-capped players back by then, but if any of these youngsters impress, they’ll absolutely be in contention. This Nations Cup has been a great stepping stone for them.”
When asked about the country’s player development pipeline, Devon praised the strength of South Africa’s school and university hockey systems.
“We’ve got a strong schoolboy hockey setup that really forms the base of our player pipeline. Beyond school, the club system and university leagues continue the development. On top of that, a good number of our players are based in Europe, playing for top-level clubs—which also benefits the national team.”
For the record, South Africa holds the distinction of winning the Africa Cup on eight occasions since the tournament was first introduced in 1974. This year’s edition is scheduled to be held from October 11–18 at the Suez Canal Authority Hockey Stadium in Egypt.
South Africa will face the third-placed team from Group B in a crossover match in the ongoing Nations Cup on Friday. — June 18, 2025