Stalemates, low-scoring affairs, and comeback wins highlighted day two’s action at the SASHOC National Week in KwaZulu-Natal on Tuesday.
After an entertaining opening day, which saw 29 goals scored across the seven matches played, the second day of the inter-provincial tournament (IPT) didn’t quite live up to expectations, albeit that it produced some unexpected upsets.
Pool A
KZN Coastal A led Pool A overnight after a win and a draw, and Western Province A occupied second spot, while KZN Inland A was in third place.
The first meeting of the day between Inland A and Province A was crucial, perhaps more important for Inland, who failed to capitalise on their double-header on Monday. The Nick Bérichon-coached outfit drew 2-2 with Western Province B before settling for a goalless draw with Coastal A later in the day.
Those results meant Inland A needed to win all their remaining matches to avoid having to turn to mathematics and discussing permutations midway through the tournament. Province, meanwhile, had defeated newcomers Mpumalanga 3-0.
Facing KZN Inland A so early in the week actually worked out quite well for coach Jody Erasmus‘s side. The two played out a goalless draw, but it was a clash of missed opportunities and a match that exposed cracks in both teams. Inland A will be gutted by the number of chances they failed to convert, while Province will go back to the drawing board and aim to tighten up at the back.
Interestingly, the last time that Western Province A failed to win a game at the IPT was in 2019. On that occasion, the opposition was also KZN Inland A. That match ended 2-2, but Province went on to edge out the same team 3-2 in the final.
KZN Coastal A also had a tricky outing on Tuesday, and they were dealt a massive blow by Western Province B, going down 1-2.
The Rondebosch Boys’ High duo of Dante Moore and Zach Hillman were on target for Pens, while Keegan de Jager‘s strike from a penalty corner in the final chukka served as a consolation goal for coach Harold Siyaya‘s men.
Boland B did just enough to record their first win of the tournament, sneaking past Mpumalanga 1-0, thanks to a Keegan Murphy goal.
Those results left Western Province in top spot, followed by KZN Coastal A and Western Province B, in second and third, respectively.
It’s important to note that both Western Province sides are yet to play their double headers.
Boland B is in fourth place, ahead of KZN Inland A, a team they defeated in last year’s tournament.
At this point, Inland A will need a miracle to progress to the semifinals, and they can get to only nine points if they win their remaining two pool matches.
Past tournaments have shown that teams need at least 10 points to progress, but stranger things have happened.
Pool B
Pool B was split wide open on day two by some unexpected results.
Eastern Province A (EP), after going down to Boland A on Monday, needed to respond, and they did so impressively, beating a strong Southern Gauteng A side 2-0.
Gauteng was scheduled to play against Southern Free State A in the day’s first match at Hilton College, but that clash was moved to the evening due to mist.
Against EP, the boys from Gauteng were far from their best, and as a result, they were punished when Keegan Le Roux scored in the sixth minute before Luke Mason made it 2-0 early in the second chukka.
The score remained unchanged from there, as EP bagged a big win.
Southern Gauteng bounced back later with a 3-1 win over Free State, thanks to goals by Matthew Mackenzie, Ndyebo Pongwana, and Blaine Candy.
Northern Gauteng A had mixed results. After playing to a pulsating 1-1 draw with Boland A, the boys from Pretoria suffered a shock 1-3 loss at the hands of KZN Coastal B in their second match.
Matt Potgieter scored a brace for Coastal B before the influential Murray Wicks sealed the win.
Against Boland, Pretoria Boys High captain Liam Brooker scored for Northerns, and Luca Jordaan found the back of the net for Boland.
In Pool B, Southern Gauteng A, after two wins and a loss, leads the way with six points from three matches. Boland A is in second, with four points from two outings, while Northern Gauteng A also has four points, but they’ve played three matches.
KZN Coastal B is in fourth, with three points from two games, while EP, in fifth, has the same record. Southern Free State props up the table.
Results
Pool A
KZN Inland A 0 Western Province A 0
Boland B 1: Keegan Murphy. Mpumalanga 0.
Western Province B 2: Dante Moore, Zach Hillman. KZN Coastal A 1: Keegan de Jager.
Pool B
Eastern Province A 2: Luke Mason, Keegan Le Roux. Southern Gauteng A 0.
Boland A 1: Luca Jordaan. Northern Gauteng A 1: Liam Brooker.
KZN Coastal B 3: Matt Potgieter (2), Murray Wicks. Northern Gauteng A 1: Rudolph Thiart.
Southern Gauteng A 3: Matt Mackenzie, Ndyebo Pongwana, Blaine Candy. Southern Free State A 1: Eben Stander.
Fixtures
Day 3: Wednesday, 1 July
Pool A @ Hilton
07:45 – KZN Coastal A vs Mpumalanga
09:10 – Western Province A vs Western Province B
13:25 – Boland B vs KZN Inland A
14:50 – Mpumalanga vs Western Province B
19:05 – Western Province A vs Boland B
Pool B @ St Anne’s
10:35 – Boland A vs KZN Coastal B
12:00 – Eastern Province A vs Southern Free State A
14:50 – Northern Gauteng A vs Southern Gauteng A
