The Netherlands men’s national hockey team completed a two match series victory with a 4 0 win over the South Africa men’s national hockey team in the second test at a vibrant Hartleyvale Stadium.
The evening also marked a special occasion for South Africa captain Sam Mvimbi, who led his side on his birthday in front of another passionate Cape Town crowd.
The first half was an outstanding defensive display from the South Africans, who denied the Dutch time and again through disciplined structure and committed work without the ball. Goalkeeper Cullin de Jager was central to that effort, producing a number of high quality saves as the visitors searched for an opening. South Africa also created opportunities of their own, earning several penalty corners, but will be disappointed not to have found a breakthrough from the set piece.
Despite sustained Dutch pressure, South Africa held firm through the opening half, keeping the scoreline tight and giving the local fans plenty to cheer.
The breakthrough finally came early in the second half when Miles Bukkensconverted a penalty corner to make it 1 0. The South Africans continued to show attacking intent, with Litha Kraai and Zenani Kraai providing energy and moments of excitement, but the score remained unchanged heading into the final quarter.
Early in the fourth quarter the Netherlands doubled their lead through a Reyengapenalty corner, before adding further gloss to the result. Bukkens struck again from another set piece and Dutch captain Thierry Brinkman completed the scoring to seal a 4 0 victory.
While the result favoured the visitors, there were many positives for the South Africans across the series, particularly in defensive resilience and intensity against one of the best teams in the world.
A heartfelt thank you to the Cape Town crowd for the tremendous support across both matches.
