The South African men’s hockey team needs to win against log leaders Spain in the BDO Champions’ Challenge this Friday.
The home side are also hoping for the log-leading South Korean team to be beaten by Malaysia this weekend if South Africa are to reach the finals of the challenge in Randburg on Sunday.
South Africa lost their game against New Zealand 2-1 on Wednesday, dropping from number two to third on the log with six points, leaving Korea to take second place with seven points.
Spain lead with nine points and have already qualified for the finals, while bottom-ranking England, with just three points, have not.
The Spanish team will be hard to beat as they have yet to lose a match in this tournament, while the South African team has managed only two wins and two losses.Â
‘We are excited about [Friday’s] game and believe that we are still in a position to go on top,†said South Africa national hockey coach Paul Revington.
‘We have played Spain before. They are a good side and think positively but they are also aware of what we can do when we are on form.â€
The winning team of the BDO challenge will qualify to play in the Champions’ Trophy in Argentina next year, against teams from the six main hockey-playing nations.
Revington said he was looking to improve South Africa’s world ranking from 13th position to somewhere in the top six.Â
The coach believes playing on home ground will be an advantage, as the team have played their best games at the Astroturf Stadium in Randburg. He said the players were in high spirits.
He said the toughest team South Africa have played so far is South Korea. Revington said that in the match against Spain, the home side’s game-plan will remain the same as it has in previous games.
The BDO Champions’ Challenge is a tournament where teams that are ranked from seventh to 14th play each other to fight for a spot in the Champions’ Trophy.
This year’s trophy, for which South Africa did not qualify, will be played in Milton Keynes, England, in November.