Four days of hockey in Gqeberha have brought the 2026 South African Hockey U21 IPT to its final chapter.
Thursday was knockout day. For some, it delivered the reward of a place in a national final. For others, the disappointment of seeing a title challenge end just one game short. Across both tournaments, the classification battles continued as every team fought for the strongest possible finish to the week.
Photo: Nathier Sulaiman / NS Pics 7
And after three days in which the invited SA U18 teams repeatedly challenged their older opponents, Day Four provided the ultimate examination of just how far their impressive campaigns could go.
Women: North West End U18 Run to Book Final Spot
The SA U18 Girls had been one of the stories of the tournament, arriving in the semi-finals with a perfect three-from-three record after topping Pool A.
North West, though, provided their toughest examination yet. In a tense semi-final where chances came at a premium, North West edged the national U18 side 1-0 courtesy of a late Germarie Spershott goal, bringing their unbeaten run to an end and booking a place in Friday’s gold-medal match.
It was a disappointing end to the U18s’ pursuit of the title, but certainly not to an impressive tournament. Victories over Southern Gauteng, Northerns Blues and WP Peninsula during the pool stage earned them their place amongst the final four, and they will now have the opportunity to finish the week with a medal in Friday’s bronze-medal match.
The second women’s semi-final delivered considerably more drama.
Northerns Blues and Western Province could not be separated after regulation time, finishing 2-2 before the contest went to a shootout. The shootout itself remained locked at 2-2 as the contest went beyond the regulation shootout rounds before being won 4-3 by Western Province as Carprice Bengston netted the deicer.
It was a fittingly tense battle between two of the tournament’s traditional heavyweights, with the smallest of margins ultimately separating a place in the championship match from a battle for bronze.
There was drama lower down the standings as well.
Eastern Province and Southern Gauteng played out an entertaining 3-3 draw, before the hosts held their nerve to win the resulting shootout 2-0.
WP Peninsula, meanwhile, secured a 2-0 victory over Free State, ensuring they will head into the final day with an opportunity to finish fifth.
For teams whose title ambitions had ended during the pool stages, Thursday offered an important opportunity to respond, and ensured there remains plenty to play for across the final classification matches.
Men: Western Province Produce Their Biggest Statement Yet
If Western Province had set the standard through the men’s pool stage, they raised it another level when the tournament moved into knockout hockey.
Province powered into the final with a commanding 6-0 semi-final victory over KZN Raiders, maintaining their perfect record and continuing an outstanding week in Gqeberha.
WP entered Thursday having won all four of their pool matches and once again showed no sign of slowing down when the stakes increased.
For KZN Raiders, the title challenge may be over, but a medal remains on offer when they return for Friday’s bronze-medal contest.
The second men’s semi-final provided one of the contests of the day.
The SA U18 Boys’ outstanding run came agonisingly close to carrying them all the way to the championship match, but Northerns Blues held firm in a thrilling encounter to secure a 4-3 victory.
The national U18 side had already shown throughout the week that age would be no barrier to competing with the country’s leading U21 teams, and they pushed the unbeaten Pool B winners all the way in their biggest examination yet.
Ultimately, Northerns Blues did enough to edge the seven-goal contest and preserve their perfect tournament record, booking a mouth-watering final against Western Province.
For the SA U18 Boys, defeat ends their title challenge but certainly does not diminish what they have produced in Gqeberha. Three victories during the pool phase earned them a legitimate place amongst the final four, and they now have one more opportunity to finish a memorable week with silverware when they face KZN Raiders for bronze.
Earlier in the men’s programme, North West produced a strong response with a 5-0 victory over Free State, while hosts Eastern Province edged Southern Gauteng 3-2 in their classification encounter.
The results keep plenty at stake heading into Friday, with the final day determining every finishing position across the men’s tournament.
SA Hockey Under 21 IPT 2026 – Fixtures – 14 August 2026
08:00 – Womens 7th Place Playoff – Free State vs Southern Gauteng
09:45 – Mens 7th Place Playoff – North West vs Southern Gauteng
11:30 – Womens 5th Place Playoff – Eastern Province vs. WP Peninsula
13:15 – Mens 5th Place Playoff – WP Peninsula vs Eastern Province
15:00 – Womens Bronze Medal – Northerns Blues vs SA Under 18
16:45 – Mens Bronze Medal – KZN Raider vs SA Under 18
18:30 – Womens Final – North West vs Western Province
20:15 – Mens Final – Western Province vs Northerns Blues
All matches are streamed live on Supersport Schools
