There are moments in sport when a result seems too unlikely to be true. For KwaZulu-Natal Coastal A, one of those remarkable moments came at St Anne’s College in Hilton on Saturday, 4 July.
Trailing Western Province A 1-4 early in the fourth chukka, with the defending champions seemingly on course for a sixth consecutive SASHOC National Week U18 boys’ title, Coastal somehow found a way back, scoring three goals in the last four minutes to level the scores at 4-4.
Then, they held their nerve in the penalty shootout to claim the title. At the heart of it all was Clifton College captain Ryde Brisset, whose own journey to the trophy had been almost as extraordinary as the final itself.
After missing the entire 2025 field hockey season following shoulder surgery, Brisset returned to the field, captained KZN Coastal to gold, and, to top it all, was named Player of the Tournament.
It was the culmination of a comeback that had started with him not even being able to run.
Before undergoing shoulder surgery, Brisset had already established himself as one of South Africa’s most promising young players. In 2024, he was one of the youngest players selected for the SA U17 team that competed at the Dato Mirnawan Cup in Malaysia.
He was young enough to have another opportunity to play in Malaysia the following year. Instead, an injury suffered against Northwood changed the course of his Grade 11 season. When he was told he needed surgery, his rapid progress was halted, and he found himself on the sidelines.
For a while, there was nothing he could do about it. “The doctor said rest, and that included no running, so that is what I did,” Brisset said.
The enforced break could easily have become a lost year. Instead, he found another way to remain part of the game.
Seeing the game differently
Clifton 1st team coach, Calvin Price, brought Brisset back into the team environment even though he could not play. “If there was an extra kit, I could get one,” Brisset recalled.
Price wanted him involved because of the knowledge he had gained from playing for South Africa and working with national coaches, so Brisset became part of Clifton’s video-analysis team. He recorded matches, even watching from home when the 1st XI played in the Saints Easter Festival, before offering his observations on the team’s games.
It was an unusual way for a young hockey player to spend a season, but it gave Brisset something he might not otherwise have gained: perspective. “From the top [where the camera positions look down onto the field], you can see where things are open. You can turn and pass to the outside,” he said.
“It opened my eyes a lot. There’s a lot of space, and you have a lot more time on the ball [than you may realise]. That improved my game in the midfield.”
It also helped him change the way he viewed the season. “I don’t think it was a lost season,” he said. “My Grade 11 year was quite important.
“To bounce back from something like that was quite tough. Still, being involved and being considered a part of the first team meant something to me. I gave it my all.”
After about six months out of action, Brisset began the long process of returning to the Astro. He started cautiously at the Riverside Sports Club, working out by himself while wearing a shoulder brace and strapping.
“Nothing too hectic,” he said. “It was just small movements with the ball, some running, but I wasn’t allowed to be fully involved yet.”
Gradually, the restrictions were eased. “Slowly but surely, I started getting back into it, and that’s when I started playing indoor hockey.”
However, physical rehabilitation was only half the battle. Brisset also had to convince himself that his shoulder could withstand the demands of hockey again. At times, the fear remained.
“Every time I misplayed a pass, I would want to reach for the ball, but I would hold back. I was scared my shoulder would go out again.”
It was a mental hurdle that he knew he had to overcome. “I said to myself, if this is how it is going to be for the rest of the season, you’re not going to have a good season, so you need to toughen up.” Eventually, he stopped thinking about the shoulder.
“Sometimes during games, something would happen. It would hurt, but then feel better. You learn from that, so you know what you’re capable of.”
The first step back
His return to the Astro was accelerated by indoor hockey.
Brisset earned selection for the KZN Coastal U18A side at the inaugural U18 SASHOC Indoor IPT, played in Kloof and Hillcrest, home territory, and he played a key role as the team won the tournament under coach Sean Baker.
“Winning that IPT with Mr Baker was something special,” he said.
The experience mattered for reasons beyond the medal. Brisset had spent months watching his teammates play while he worked his way back. Now he was once again part of a team, part of a culture and, importantly, part of a winning side.
“I felt left out while I worked my way back,” he admitted. “To be part of that team and the culture did me a lot of good. I trained so hard just to come back and be who I was.”
Winning gold and being selected for the SA u18 indoor hockey team, alongside one of his best friends from Clifton, goalkeeper Georg Wolhuter, was a huge achievement, and it also sent a message.
“Leading on to the next year, it made others realise that even though I was out for half the year, I was still going to come back, and I was going to be better than I was.”
That belief became increasingly evident during the 2026 field hockey season, during which he led Clifton to a strong 69 percent win rate.
A talent spotted early on
Brisset’s ability was evident from his primary school days at Chelsea Preparatory School, and many high schools hoped he would pick them once his Chelsea days were done.
He chose Clifton College. It offered him the combination he wanted: a strong hockey programme, academic excellence, and the opportunity to remain a day scholar. It was the right decision for him.
He made his Clifton 1st team debut in Grade 10, and when he did, coach Keegan Pearce didn’t protect him from the challenge of senior school hockey. Brisset was placed in central midfield, where he was required to compete against players up to three years older than him.
It was a significant show of confidence in a young player.
Price, who took over as Clifton’s Director of Hockey and 1st team coach when Pearce moved to Kearsney College, remembers being impressed by him. “You would never think he was a Grade 10 boy playing against U18 players,” Price said.
“He was a ball player and gifted in those areas, and he didn’t step back from a challenge. He looked like an U18 player, very good on the ball, and also very good defensively. He also had a presence about him.”
Price had first encountered Brisset many years earlier.
He remembers seeing him, Tye Milne, and Georg Wolhuter playing together as U11s at a Pro Series Indoor (PSI) tournament. He still has a photograph from that time.
“He glided with the ball. That was special about him,” Price recalled. “He was a natural ball player and a goal scorer, but quality, in any position he played.”
The three Clifton boys would eventually become key figures in KZN Coastal’s astonishing victory at the SASHOC National Week.
A captain emerges
When the KZN Coastal U18A selectors had to choose their captain for the inter-provincial tournament, they had plenty of options. The squad included the very capable captains of Clifton, Durban High School (DHS), Northwood, Westville Boys’ High, and Kearsney College. They chose Brisset. It was a decision based not only on his hockey ability but on the way he led.
Brisset is not the loudest player on the field. He does not need to be.
“He’s a very different leader,” Price said. “He’s not your out-there player, screaming at his players. He leads by example. I truly believe those are the type of leaders that will get their players behind them.”
Price had seen that quality from Brisset at a young age. “That’s what we had from him when he was U10,” he said. “I think he led last year, when he was sidelined, in that way as well.”
And in 2026, he had done the same for Clifton.
Referencing the SASHOC National Week, Price reckoned: “He got us out of trouble a lot. He scored at crucial times.”
He pointed to a particularly important goal Brisset scored against Western Province in a must-win pool match. They had to win to advance to the semi-finals, and Brisset’s goal was the second in a 2-1 defeat of the defending champs. It was Western Province’s first IPT loss since 2018.
“If you look at some of those goals he scored at IPT, especially that crucial goal against Western Province, it shows his leadership skills.”
There are different kinds of leaders, Price said. “He’s a quiet leader, but he leads with a presence, and I think that’s what KZN Coastal needed.”
The SASHOC National Week final
That leadership was needed more than ever on 4 July when they faced Western Province for the title.
Province arrived at St Anne’s having won the previous five SASHOC National Week U18 boys’ titles, but KZN Coastal made a dream start to the title game when Dan Holliday, the fourth Clifton member of the squad, scored in the opening minute to put the hosts 1-0 ahead.
But Province showed why they had dominated the competition for so long. Luc Dicey equalised before Jacques van Dyk put the defending champions ahead. Captain Mohloli Maseko then scored twice, leaving Province 4-1 in front early in the fourth chukka.
For Coastal, the dream of winning the title appeared to be slipping away. Then came four extraordinary minutes.
Jesse van Wyk pulled one back with four to go. Within a minute, Tyhill Naidoo beat Province goalkeeper Arin Spiller to make it 4-3.
Suddenly, Coastal had hope. But hope and reality are different things.
They still needed another goal against a side that had been champions for five consecutive years.
Somehow, they found it.
Luc Boyall won a penalty corner. Keegan de Jager stepped up and unleashed a sizzling drag flick, but the ball struck a defender on the line. The umpire signalled a penalty stroke.
Tye Milne took responsibility and converted convincingly.
4-4.
The comeback was complete. But there was still one final test.
Western Province earned a late penalty corner, and KZN Coastal was reduced to four defenders when Brisset broke early. It was precisely the sort of situation in which a defending champion might find the decisive moment. Coastal held firm.
The final went to a shootout.
Clifton friends finish the job
Once again, Brisset and two familiar faces stepped forward: Milne and Wolhuter, friends with whom he spends his break time at school. They had been alongside him throughout his hockey journey, from primary school and on to high school. Now, they were trying to win a national title together.
Milne converted an eight-second penalty and a penalty stroke. Brisset scored. And Wolhuter, the goalkeeper, denied three Western Province attempts.
The title belonged to KZN Coastal. The celebrations were wild.
After spending a year sidelined, and following surgery, rehabilitation, and a mental battle to trust his shoulder again, Brisset was a national champion.
Then came one final reward.
When the South African Schools teams were announced, Brisset was named Player of the Tournament.
It was a remarkable achievement even without knowing the backstory. Knowing what had happened made it extraordinary.
Only a year earlier, he had been unable to train. Now, he was being recognised as the best player at the country’s premier school hockey tournament.
A comeback with meaning
Brisset’s story is not simply about returning from injury. It is about what he did while he was away.
He drew on the unwavering support of his family. He remained involved with his teammates. He studied the game from a different perspective. He used the time to develop his understanding. He rebuilt his body patiently, then confronted the fear that threatened to hold him back.
He had the support of a hockey community that continued to believe in him.
Price, the national women’s indoor hockey team coach, has closely watched Brisset’s progression. Knowing the talent that Brisset, Milne, and Wolhuter possessed was one of the reasons Price was attracted to the Director of Hockey post at Clifton.
“That made my choice to come here so much easier,” he said. “It gave me a sense of direction.”
He also credited Pearce, who has coached the SA U18 team, for the role he played in Brisset’s development. “Keegan Pearce also played a special role in his career. Keegs did a lot for these guys, and I have had the opportunity to embrace it even more.”
For Brisset, the journey has provided a different perspective on development. Missing a season at such an important age could have been viewed as a disaster. Instead, he found value in it.
He learned to analyse the game. He learned more about leadership. He learned patience. And he learned to trust himself again.
Those lessons were evident at the SASHOC National Week and, as the pressure increased, so did his performances.
When Milne slotted the penalty stroke that confirmed KZN Coastal as the IPT winner, the celebrations began. Brisset was no longer the player returning from surgery. He was a captain, a champion. and the tournament’s outstanding player.
Five years of Western Province dominance had ended. KwaZulu-Natal Coastal had written a new chapter.
And Ryde Brisset, after everything he had been through, had written perhaps the most remarkable chapter of all.
