Belgium turned the tables 2-1 on South Africa in the second men’s hockey Test at Hartleyvale on Sunday.
Both teams played with urgency in a match fraught with controversy. The wind continued to blow, and both sides used the overhead ball liberally.
Trouble started in the seventh minute at the first Belgian penalty corner. The ball appeared to take a deflection off an attacker’s stick, but umpire Zain McLaren ruled it had not been played in the circle. The Belgians were up in arms soon afterwards when an appeal for a penalty stroke was disallowed.
Meanwhile, Greg Nicol worried the defenders but was unable to make any telling shots. Veteran Wayne Denne showed good vision in the midfield, but the Belgians took the lead when Loic Vandeweghe scored from a penalty corner in the 22nd minute.
The pace continued unabated in the second half. Nicol was brought down in the circle in the opening minute, and equalised from the penalty stroke.
Tempers continued to fray, with Xavier Reckinger and Bruce Jacobs both being shown the yellow card.
Both sides continued to press for the winner. With four minutes remaining, Reckinger atoned for his earlier indiscretion by beating Dave Staniforth with a low flick from a penalty corner.
The red-shirted visitors held on to their advantage to set up a thrilling finale on Tuesday. — Sapa