It’s taken two matches for the visiting French national women’s hockey team to acclimatise to South Africa’s balmy conditions, but they turned up in style with a 4-1 win in the third Test against hosts South Africa, at the WPCC in Cape Town on Monday, 22 January, 2024.
The SA women’s hockey team took the home-ground advantage in encouraging wins in the opening encounters of the Test series, beating the visitors 2-0 and 2-1 at SACS in Newlands, but the change in venue coincided ideally for France as they rose to a daunting 4-1 win in the third encounter, in cooler conditions.
South Africa used their entire team in attempts to overturn France’s dominance on Monday evening, with keeper Marlise van Tonder the last of the bench to see on-field action, when she subbed starting goalkeeper Aphiwe Dimba in the 15th minute.
But the pressure was all on the home side from the opening quarter, with five penalty corner decisions going the way of France, with the one converted by Mathilde Duffrene in addition to Gabrielle Verrier’s field goal giving the visitors a 2-nil lead by the first break.
The French rode their advantage in the second quarter, with neither side able to make a scoreboard move, but when South Africa’s Taheera Augousti was blown up on a green card for the only card of the match, late in the penultimate quarter, France’s Paola Le Nindre used the advantage to finesse another field goal for the visitors.
SA stalwart Quanita Bobbs responded in minutes to open scoring for the home side, but the reply was too little, too late in the game.
France defended three penalty corners in the final session of play before Philippine Delemazure made it an evening to remember for France with a final field goal to end the match definitively in the visitors’ pockets.
An intriguing tension now rests on both teams with all three remaining fixtures to be played at SACS High School in Newlands, and the momentum withe the visitors to prove that they can repeat their world rankings-defying Monday upset.
The two sides meet for their fourth encounter on Tuesday evening, with two day’s rest between that and the weekends final two fixtures, on Friday and Saturday afternoons.
All games are live on SuperSport Schools website and app.
South Afriva vs France Summer Hockey Test Series, at SACS in Cape Town from 18 – 28 January, 2024
Thu 18 Jan, 19:30: South Africa 2-0 France
Sat, 20 Jan, 14:30: South Africa 2-1 France
Mon, 22 Jan, 17:30: South Africa 1-4 France
Tue, 23 Jan, 17:30: 4th Test
Fri, 26 Jan, 15:45: 5th Test
Sun, 28 Jan, 15:00: 6th Test
South African Women’s Hockey Team vs France
Anelle van Deventer
Antonet Louw
Aphiwe Dimba
Bianca Wood
Cailynn Den Bakker
Celia Seerane
Charlene Boshoff
Dirkie Chamberlain
Onthatile Zulu
Paris-Gail Isaacs
Quanita Bobbs
Reabetswe Phume
Stephanie Botha
Taheera Augousti
Tarryn Lombard
France Women’s Hockey Team
Quitterie Le Naour
Catherine Clot
Emma Ponthieu
Mickaela Lahlah
Paola Le Nindre
Yohanna Lhopital
Philippine Delemazure
Marie Simon
Gabrielle Verrier
Alice Lesgourgues
Victoire Arnaud
Guusje Van Bolhuis
Mathilde Duffrene
Pauline Varoqui
Eve Verzura
Ines Lardeur
Lucie Ehrmann
Albane Garot
Delfina Gaspari
Tessa-Margot Schubert
Mathilde Petriaux
Head Coach: Gael Foulard
Main Photo Caption: The France national women’s hockey team thumped SA 4-1 in the third Test at the WPCC in Cape Town on Monday evening, the 6-match series delicately poised with the first of three remaining fixtures in Newlands this evening. Photo: (c) Ray Chaplin www.raychaplin.photography
Photo 2 Caption: The unrelenting visitors turned the 2-0 first quarter advantage into a 4-1 routing of hosts South Africa on Monday evening. Photo: (c) Ray Chaplin www.raychaplin.photography
Photo 3 Caption: South Africa retain a 2-1 lead ahead of Tuesday’s fourth encounter, and the weekends final two fixtures at SACS High School. Photo: (c) Ray Chaplin www.raychaplin.photography