The South Africa men’s hockey team beat host nation Japan 2-1 after the scores were locked 0-0 at half-time in the Olympic Qualifier Tournament’s sell-out final at Gifu Green Stadium Sunday.

The prize was the last ticket still on offer for the London 2012 Olympic Games men’s hockey event, and a stunning field goal from Thornton McDade plus a coolly taken effort by Lloyd Norris-Jones proved the difference in an emotion-charged title match, Kenji Kitazato netting for Japan

After patient build-up Marvin Harper got in the first shot of the final in the third minute but Japan goalkeeper Shunsuke Nagoya saved well. At the other end Rassie Pieterse timed his advance perfectly to block Hiroki Sakamoto’s shot.

Umpires David Gentles (Australia) and Jed Curran (Scotland) are experienced in these high-pressure matches and the teams were in good hands, but in the 11th minute Japan were awarded a penalty corner that SA disputed. The decision stood as SA did not opt to use the one video referral allowed – and Pieterse saved to his right from Katsuyoshi Nagasawa.

Midway, Lloyd Madsen’s long ball down the right found Julian Hykes whose strong cross let Wade Paton in for a snap shot that went just wide. Towards half-time Japan pressed hard but the threat was negated and Tim Drummond forced a top quality low save to goalkeeper Nagaoka’s right once the momentum shifted.

Then the sheer pace of Norris-Jones earned SA’s first PC with exactly five minutes to the break and a variation to the third castle saw Andrew Cronje win another. SA went back to the more regular double castle and Justin Reid-Ross’s drag-flick was gloved away by the keeper.

Soon after the changeover SA had two excellent opportunities to turn possession into goal shots but the final passes went astray and a breakout from deep saw Japan striker Kenta Tanaka come agonisingly close to opening the scoring. A four-man move some time later was again a tense moment but the outstanding Pieterse was on hand to block. Seconds later striker McDade, at 31 the “old man” of the side, found space on the right and opened the scoring after a dazzling piece of stickwork in close confines that wrong-footed the keeper (1-0).

With 20 left SA had a stunning chance to go two goals clear but somehow Japan emerged intact from the goalmouth scramble and at the other end Japan won their second PC when Gentles ruled SA had infringed in the 23m area. Then SA lost another defender when Jonty Robinson, the first wave, was adjudged to have broken too early but the danger turned into opportunity and a few plays later Norris-Jones made it 2-0 with a clinical finish.

With 16 minutes to the final whistle Japan were still in it, as their lightning-quick forwards are capable of scoring two or three goals in no time, but the SA tackling continued in impeccable vein, and Ian Haley’s chance to make it three was then thwarted by the in-form Nagaoka. Gentles awarded Japan a PC but SA captain Austin Smith opted to use his team’s one video referral and the choice was wise.

However, Japan got their third PC a few plays later, then a fourth, and a fifth. SA survived and Pieterse then made a great save from field play but Japan’s Kenji Kitazato pulled one back eventually with six minutes left on the clock (2-1). With three left McDade broke free and fed Norris-Jones, whose shot was saved by the advancing Nagaoka.

With 98 seconds left Japan subbed their keeper with a field player and Pieterse made a brilliant save shortly after. It was agony for the few SA supporters at the ground as the seconds crawled by, but finally it was over and SA had booked the last ticket to London.

SOUTH AFRICA vs JAPAN
Goalkeeper: Rassie Pieterse (Southern Gauteng).
Defenders: Andrew Cronje (Western Province), Justin Reid-Ross (Northern Blues), Lloyd Madsen (KZN Coastal Raiders), Rhett Halkett (NB), Lance Louw (SG).
Midfielders: Jonty Robinson (NB), Austin Smith (capt, WP), Tim Drummond (KCR), Wade Paton (KCR), Taine Paton (KCR).
Strikers: Ian Haley (WP), Marvin Harper (KCR), Lloyd Norris-Jones (WP), Julian Hykes (Amathole-Border), Thornton McDade (SG).
Rested: Michael Smith (Witwatersrand), Clinton Panther (SG).

The South Africa men’s hockey team drew 3-3 with Japan in the tightest, most nerve-jangling clashes you are ever likely to see after the scores were locked 1-1 at half-time in their top-of-the log Olympic Qualifier Tournament match at Gifu Green Stadium in Japan Wednesday.

To set up interviews, please contact SA team manager Anton van Rooyen at 00 818 0347 92 300.

Barring the most bizarre upsets in Friday’s final round, Japan and SA are now almost certainly through to Sunday’s 8 am (SA time) final which will be televised live on SuperSport 6 and has as its prize the last ticket left for the men’s event at London 2012.

With 10 minutes to the break Japan won their first penalty corner somewhat controversially, from which keeper Rassie Pieterse made a great double save before captain Kawakami Kei pounced on the rebound (1-0). Four minutes later Ian Haley whipped in a speculative cross and Lloyd Norris-Jones was on hand to equalise (1-1).

Both SA’s equalisers came within minutes after Japan scoring.

In the fourth minute a Justin Reid-Ross long ball to Haley found Marvin Harper who earned South Africa’s only PC of the half but first wave defender Katsuyoshi Nagasawa comfortably ran down the opportunity. Pieterse in goal made a timely intervention on the quick Japanese counter-attack before Tim Drummond nearly decapitated the umpire with a slashing shot wide of the far post at the other end.

SA captain Austin Smith was hugely influential in the middle while Lance Louw made a great tackle that snuffed out a Japan counter-attack before Pieterse, Lloyd Madsen and Norris-Jones were key in other heart-stopping moments in the SA goalmouth.

Wade Paton and Julian Hykes set up McDade 16 minutes from half-time but goalkeeper Katsuya Takase narrowed the angle with slide-rule precision. With 10 minutes to the break Japan won their first PC somewhat controversially, from which Pieterse made a great double save before captain Kawakami Kei pounced on the rebound (1-0). Four minutes later the alert Ian Haley whipped in a speculative cross and the ever-present Norris-Jones was on hand to scramble in the equaliser (1-1).

Five minutes after the changeover defender Madsen did superbly to block a golden opportunity but the Japanese won their second PC soon after Nagasawa maintained their 100% success rate (2-1). SA combined with clockwork precision straight from the re-start for Norris-Jones to win his team’s second PC and Reid-Ross took his tournament tally to eight with a drag-flick rocket launcher (2-2).

A clever Hykes dummy enabled McDade’s slap shot but the nippy Kenta Tanaka stole away to make it 3-2 midway through the second half. SA won their third PC straight away and this time Smith whose blistering drag-flick smashed into the cross bar and stayed out, much to the skipper’s disbelief.

Close calls came and went in both goal zones as play flew from end to end but Taine Paton’s nifty stickwork to win SA’s third PC was undone by keeper Takase’s glove save. Then Andrew Cronje made a superb tackle to stem a Japanese one-two. In the last five minutes Japan were pinned in their defensive third and with two left SA won their fourth PC but the lightning-quick first-wave defender ran Reid-Ross’s drag-flick down. Keeper Takase was miraculous but the fifth PC went SA’s way with 10 seconds left and Reid-Ross underlined why he is rated among the fastest drag-flickers in the world when he bulged the roof of the net (3-3).

To set up interviews, please contact SA team manager Anton van Rooyen at 00 818 0347 92 300.

LOG in brief (played 4 unless stated): 1 Japan 19 points (goal difference 20); 2 South Africa 10 points (GD 17); 3 China (3) 6 points (GD 6); 4 Austria 6 points (GD -1); 5 Czech Republic (3) 0 points (GD -11); 6 Brazil 0 points (GD -31).

SA MATCH PROGRAMME/RESULTS
April 26: South Africa 11 Brazil 1; April 28: South Africa 6 Czech Republic 2; April 30: SA 5 China 2; May 2: SA 3 Japan 3; May 4: vs Austria (11.30 am SA time); May 6 (all live on SuperSport 6): Classification matches (5/6 places); (3/4 places); final (8 am SA time).

SOUTH AFRICA
Goalkeeper: Rassie Pieterse (Southern Gauteng).
Defenders: Andrew Cronje (Western Province), Justin Reid-Ross (Northern Blues), Lance Louw (SG), Lloyd Madsen (KZN Coastal Raiders), Rhett Halkett (NB).
Midfielders: Jonty Robinson (NB), Austin Smith (capt, WP), Tim Drummond (KCR), Wade Paton (KCR), Taine Paton (KCR).
Strikers: Ian Haley (WP), Marvin Harper (KCR), Lloyd Norris-Jones (WP), Julian Hykes (Amathole-Border), Thornton McDade (SG).
Rested: Michael Smith (Witwatersrand), Clint Panther (SG).

The South Africa men’s hockey team put together a near-faultless first half performance to beat China 5-2 in the key Olympic Qualifier Tournament match after leading 3-0 at the break in Kakamigahara, Japan Monday.

To set up interviews, please contact SA team manager Anton van Rooyen at 00 818 0347 92 300.

The result sets up the most tantalising of contests at 9 am SA time Wednesday when SA meet log-leaders Japan.

It was the most comprehensive of performances in the opening half, yet the scoreline could be considered somewhat flattering in the end as SA goalkeeper Rassie Pieterse made a number of tip-top saves while the green-and-gold side’s finishing was razor sharp.

SA controlled possession and made all the play from the outset while China appeared set on waiting to pounce on a turnover.

The shadow boxing between two well-structured, unbeaten teams continued until the first shot in anger was fired by SA striker Thornton McDade in the 13th minute but Chinese keeper Rifeng Su glove-saved well.

SA’s game of patience paid off after 17 minutes when Lloyd Madsen’s long ball found McDade, whose layoff to Taine Paton set up the first penalty corner, a textbook set-piece that saw drag-flick king Justin Reid Ross take his tournament goal tally to seven (1-0).

Just three minutes later SA broke out of deep defence and McDade and Lloyd Norris-Jones made the initial plays for fellow strike partner Ian Haley to slam into the backboard (2-0).

China striker Na Yubo was irate when he was not awarded a PC and the dangerous target man was just wide of post with a deflection effort soon after.

SA’s Jonty Robinson, Reid-Ross and Rhett Halkett made timely interventions to get their team out of trouble as the Chinese began putting passes together and at the other end Paton combined with Marvin Harper to give the men in yellow and red another heart-stopping moment.

The three-goal cushion had to come and Reid-Ross gave Norris-Jones a pass under the arm for the striker’s first-time slap shot to crash into the corner of Rifeng’s goals (3-0).

With seconds to half-time China won a hotly disputed PC and Andrew Cronje saved on the goalline.

The second half saw a determined China come out looking to close the gap and Xiantang Lu could not believe Pieterse’s save after he only had the keeper to beat. At the other end McDade and Harper came agonisingly to increasing the goal margin.

With 20-odd minutes left Julian Hykes made life difficult for China’s defenders and Jonty Robinson picked up the leftovers to finish superbly (4-0). But hardly a minute later the never-say-die Yubo pulled one back (4-1).

Then Taine Paton and Hykes got together before Robinson bagged his brace (5-1). Haley nearly made it six for SA but at the other end Pieterse made a stunning triple save high and low from a Chinese PC, and then another top-end glove save shortly after.

China pressed very hard to reduce the tally but SA defended superbly, although Xiaxan Lu finally found the net past the outstanding Pieterse from a PC seconds from the end (5-2).

LOG in brief (all played 3 unless stated): 1 Japan 9 points (goal difference 20); 2 South Africa 9 points (GD 17); 3 China 6 points (GD 6); 4 Austria 3 points (GD -3); 5 Czech Republic 0 points (GD -11); 6 Brazil 0 points (GD -29).

SA MATCH PROGRAMME/RESULTS
April 26: South Africa 11 Brazil 1; April 28: South Africa 6 Czech Republic 2; April 30: SA 5 China 2; May 2: vs Japan (9 am SA time); May 4: vs Austria (11.30 am SA time); May 6: Classification matches (5/6 places); (3/4 places); final (8 am SA time).

SOUTH AFRICA
Goalkeepers: Rassie Pieterse (Southern Gauteng).
Defenders: Andrew Cronje (Western Province), Justin Reid-Ross (Northern Blues), Lance Louw (SG), Lloyd Madsen (KZN Coastal Raiders), Rhett Halkett (NB).
Midfielders: Jonty Robinson (NB), Austin Smith (capt, WP), Tim Drummond (KCR), Wade Paton (KCR), Taine Paton (KCR).
Strikers: Ian Haley (WP), Marvin Harper (KCR), Lloyd Norris-Jones (WP), Julian Hykes (Amathole-Border), Thornton McDade (SG).
Rested: Michael Smith (Witwatersrand), Clinton Panther (SG).

Free State started the game well and lead 1 – 0 at the half time break. Guise-Brown levelled the scores in the second half with a scorching drag flick.

Western Province ended third after beating Kaspersky Southerns 2-1.

KZN Raiders beat KZN Inland 5 – 3 to secure fifth place.

Eastern Province beat North West 4 – 3 in the battle for seventh position whilst WP Pens beat Kaspersky Wits 2 – 1 in a shoot-out competition after the sides drew 4 – 4 at full time.

Top goalscorer at the tournament went to Matthew Guise-Brown with 7 goals.

Player of the tournament was Western Province captain Grant Robertson.

The South Africa men’s hockey team chalked up their second win of the Olympic Qualifier Tournament in Japan on Saturday when they ground out a 6-2 victory over an obdurate Czech Republic after leading 4-1 at halftime.

The ugly, ill-tempered affair did not do justice to the most beautiful of spring days and sin-bin cards did little to cool tempers.

Justin Reid-Ross took his goal tally to six in the tournament with a field goal and penalty corner, while field goals from Tim Drummond, Lloyd Norris-Jones, Lance Louw and Thornton McDade completed the SA scoring. Martin Seemann and Stepan Bernatek netted field goals for the Czechs.

In the third minute an inspired Andrew Cronje through-ball to Julian Hykes was followed by a strong Ian Haley snap shot, which brought the first PC. Reid-Ross made no mistake, his drag-flick ricocheting off keeper Filip Neusser’s glove (1-0).

In the seventh minute, the disruptive Czech defenders couldn’t stop Hykes from threading his way through for Drummond to finish (2-0). Haley then set up Wade Paton whose reverse-stick rocket flashed over the crossbar.

With SA playing all the hockey, the match threatened to get ugly as delaying tactics negated the free flow of the game and a Czech was consigned to the sidelines, but completely against the run of play Seemann did very well to pull a goal back (2-1).

Lloyd Norris-Jones got in two shots and Hykes ones as SA regained their composure, and with seven minutes left in the first half, in-form SA skipper Austin Smith set up Norris-Jones for a great goal, the striker running intelligently into space before finishing with aplomb (3-1).

Martin Babicky shot just wide at the other end before Smith teed up for Lance Louw to nail SA’s fourth after the left-side defender had stolen up the left flank unnoticed (4-1).

With two minutes left, SA keeper Rassie Pieterse saved from Stepan Bernatek before first-wave Jonty Robinson ran down the Czech’s first PC, prevent potent drag-flicker Tomas Prochazka from making his presence felt. On halftime SA’s second PC was comfortably saved by Neusser.

Five minutes after the changeover the Czechs grabbed a rare bite of possession and Bernatek buried his shot into the backboard (4-2).

Norris-Jones played intelligently to earn SA’s third PC but again it was saved. With 20-odd minutes left, both sides squared up toe to toe and tempers threatened to boil over into something extremely serious. Vilem Topek was sin-binned.

Drummond won possession and SA came close to scoring their fifth as the entire Czech team were massed in the defensive third.

More sin-bin cards were dished out. Undaunted, SA kept playing the hockey and Reid-Ross scored from out left, further underlining South Africa’s massive advantage in entries into the strike zone (5-2).

Five minutes from time the Czechs won a hotly disputed PC – and then another – as tempers again flared to breaking point, and the slip left to Bernatek was palmed away by Pieterse. Then Hykes pressured a Czech into error and strike partner McDade finished superbly (6-2).

Second-favourites Japan beat the Czechs 6-0 on day one while top seeds South Africa had accounted for minnows Brazil 11-1. The stakes rise significantly for SA on Monday when they take on third-favourites China at 6.30pm (11.30am CAT, SA, GMT+2).

SOUTH AFRICA LINE-UP

Goalkeeper: Rassie Pieterse (Southern Gauteng).
Defenders: Andrew Cronje (Western Province), Justin Reid-Ross (Northern Blues), Lance Louw (SG), Lloyd Madsen (KZN Coastal Raiders).
Midfielders: Jonty Robinson (NB), Clinton Panther (SG), Austin Smith (capt, WP), Tim Drummond (KCR), Wade Paton (KCR), Taine Paton (KCR).
Strikers: Ian Haley (WP), Marvin Harper (KCR), Lloyd Norris-Jones (WP), Julian Hykes (Amathole-Border), Thornton McDade (SG).
Rested: Goalkeeper Michael Smith (Witwatersrand), Rhett Halkett (NB)

SA’s REMAINING MATCHES (all times are CAT, SA, GMT+2)

April 30: v China (11.30am)
May 2: v Japan (9am)
May 4: v Austria (11.30am)
May 6: 5th/6th-place playoff (3am), 3rd/4th-place playoff (5:30am), Final (8am) – all live on SuperSport 6

JONATHAN COOK
in Kakamigahara, Japan

An on-song South Africa men’s hockey team beat Brazil 11-1 after leading 4-0 at half-time in their opening Olympic Qualifier Tournament match here Thursday.

Attack-minded defender Justin Reid-Ross netted four times, twice with stunning penalty corners, a brace apiece went to striker Lloyd Norris-Jones and midfielder Tim Drummond, a penalty stroke by Andrew Cronje, and action goals from Jonty Robinson and Thornton McDade found just one reply from Brazil in Mattheus Borges’ soft penalty corner.

The heavy drizzle did not deter the SA players and their attacking intent in the first five minutes set the tone. Pinning the Brazilians pinned in their defensive third, there was no way out for the South Americans.

Threading a way through a crowded defence was not easy and Brazilian goalkeeper Daniel Tatara was frequently alert to the danger, despite the final scoreline.

But in the 20th the gates were open when Tim Drummond initiated a move that saw the back three prominent, and the defence splitting pass from Clint Panther saw Norris-Jones bury the chance with the minimum of fuss (1-0).

Panther was again prominent in a move that resulted in Marvin Harper’s effort turning into a penalty stroke and ice-cool Cronje sent the keeper the other way for the 2-0 scoreline with 12 to the changeover.

Captain Austin Smith could scarcely believe it when an outstretched Tatara somehow got a foot to SA’s first penalty corner but with five left a lurking Drummond netted a diving deflection from Cronje’s visionary pass (3-0).

A rare Brazilian entry into the scoring zone was tidied up by Reid-Ross and the defender was rewarded with SA’s second PC soon after but Bruno Sousa pulled his low flick off the line. Panther got in a shot from Ian Haley’s pass and on half-time the third PC ballooned the back of the net, such was the power of the Reid-Ross rocket (4-0).

There was goal mayhem soon after the changeover, with Brazil’s Borges scoring a soft corner, SA restoring their four-goal margin immediately through Drummond (5-1) and then Reid-Ross getting his second and third goals, both times from field play, for his hat-trick (7-1).

A combination of keeper Tatara and a crowded defence kept the scorekeepers quiet for a while before Robinson rifled the most emphatic of field goals into the back of the net (8-1).

SA were stringing their passes together in fluid fashion and a top pass from Lance Louw freed up McDade for 9-1. Julian Hykes nearly made it 10 when his shot cannoned into the crossbar but Reid-Ross righted that wrong with another jaw-dropping PC drag-flick (10-1) and typical Tim Drummond sleight of hand set up Norris-Jones’ second just before the end (11-1).

SA TEAM vs BRAZIL
Goalkeepers: Rassie Pieterse (Southern Gauteng), Michael Smith (Witwatersrand).
Defenders: Andrew Cronje (Western Province), Justin Reid-Ross (Northern Blues), Lance Louw (SG), Rhett Halkett (NB).
Midfielders: Jonty Robinson (NB), Clinton Panther (SG), Austin Smith (capt, WP), Tim Drummond (KCR), Wade Paton (KCR).
Strikers: Ian Haley (WP), Marvin Harper (KCR), Lloyd Norris-Jones (WP), Julian Hykes (Amathole-Border), Thornton McDade (SG).
Rested: Lloyd Madsen (KZN Coastal Raiders), Taine Paton (KCR).

REST OF SA MATCH PROGRAMME
April 28: vs Czech Republic (3 am SA time); April 30: vs China (11.30 am SA time); May 2: vs Japan (9 am SA time); May 4: vs Austria (11.30 am SA time); May 6: Classification matches (5/6 places); (3/4 places); final (8 am SA time).

KZN Coastals 3 vs WP Pens 0

Free State 3 vs Western Province 3

Kaspersky Southern 1 vs Northerns blues 1

Eastern Province 9 vs Kaspersky Wits 0

Namibia 3 vs KZN Inland 2
WP Pens 1 vs Northerns B 0
Western Province 2 vs North West 0
Kaspersky Southerns 1 vs Free State 0
Eastern Province 2 vs KZN Raiders 1
Northerns Blues 2 vs Kaspersky Wits 1

Day 5

Free State 5 vs WP Pens 0
Western Province 2 vs Namibia 1
Eastern Province 3 vs Northerns B 0
KZN Inland 3 vs Kaspersky Wits 1
Kaspersky Southerns 4 vs KZN Raiders 2
North West 1 vs Northerns Blues 1