The Western Cape has the largest number of representatives at the Fairtree Super 12 Tournament, with a whopping five teams heading to Bloemfontein.
St Cyprian’s School, Rhenish Girls’ High, Herschel, Reddam House Constantia, and defending champion, Paarl Gimnasium, will represent the province at the prestigious tournament.
The action at Oranje Meisieskool kicks off on Thursday, with the final scheduled to take place on Sunday, 9 August.
Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools
Western Cape teams have won the past two events, with Rhenish being crowned the Super 12 winner in 2024 and Paarl Gim lifting the trophy in 2025.
Before those two Western Cape wins, the Free State’s Eunice High School won it in 2023, and the hosts, Oranje, took the title in 2022.
Playing with a new format, the five Western Cape sides will back themselves to go far. Teams are now divided into groups of three, with the two top sides from each pool advancing to the quarterfinals.
St Cyprian’s is in Pool A and will face Oranje and DSG Makhanda. It’s the first time since 2019 that coach Natalie Esteves‘s side returns to the tournament. They are one of the dark horses and will be aiming to spring a few surprises.
Rhenish and Herschel, meanwhile, will battle each other and Die Hoërskool Menlopark in Pool B.
After winning the title in 2024, Rhenish placed third last year, defeating DSG Makhanda 3-0 in the third-place playoff.
Coach Chris Gerber‘s side heads to Bloemfontein brimming with confidence after picking up two morale-boosting results in the past fortnight: a 1-0 win over Paarl Gim 1-0 and a 4-2 victory over HMS Bloemhof last week.
Gerber has the luxury of experience on his side, with Chelsey Woolf, Pippa Viljoen, Katherine Sickle, Sarah-Ellen Groenewald, Grace Hobbs, Lily Newton, and Nicola van der Merwe all fit and firing.
Herschel, meanwhile, will welcome an opportunity to battle it out with the top dogs again. Their last appearance at the Super 12 was in 2023. They finished 12th that year, but their best was third place in 2017.
Coach Stacey Gedult will also lean on her experienced players to lead the way. Nina Wides, who led Western Province A to the SASHOC National Week title, will be a key player alongside other veterans, Hayley Lewis, Sarah Ashbolt, Katherine Featherstone, Emily Dickinson, and Sophie Maurel.
The defending champ, Paarl Gim, faces Hoërskool Waterkloof and the newcomers, Reddam House Constantia, in Pool C.
Paarl Gim enjoyed an outstanding weekend ahead of the Super 12, comfortably beating Paarl Girls’ High 5-1.
Coach Danelle van Zyl’s side was sharp, showing how dangerous they can be when firing on all cylinders.
They’ll be aiming for more of the same in Bloemfontein. They’re experienced campaigners in tournament hockey, which should boost their chances of winning again.
Paarl Gim, similar to many of the other Western Cape sides, has some X-factor players in its arsenal.
One name that stands out is Alanda Rademeyer, who was named Player of the Tournament, Top Goalscorer, and Best Forward at last year’s Super 12.
She won’t have to do it all alone, though. She’ll have the experienced captain, Anya Swanepoel, Annabelle Smith, Karli van Deventer, Hannah-Claire Lees, Marili Walters, Carla Tranter, and Ghita Husselman to take up the challenge alongside her.
As for Reddam, it’s their first time making it into the Super 12, and that’s already an outstanding feat about which to get excited.
Coach Chris Hibbert‘s team has punched above its weight this year, and they recently won the Cape Town International Hockey Tournament for a second successive year.
Competing well and causing a few upsets would be the cherry on top of the cake after another season of progress from the Cape Town school.
Their skipper, Emma Hibbert, will be vital throughout the tournament, while Holly Binneman, Samantha Nimb, and Cassidy Frank will be eager to bow out in style.
Reddam also has a fairly young side with one grade 8 learner, Emily Hougaard, and two grade 9s, Salma Jacobs and Nicole Dixon, in their line-up.
Coach Hibbert has previously led teams to win tournaments, and he’ll take lessons from those past successes in an effort to upend some of the best teams in the land.
