Men
African champions South Africa will be taking part in their fourth successive World Cup following appearances in 2002, 2006 and 2010.
Their 10th place finish at the 2010 World Cup in New Delhi was their joint highest finish in World Cup history, matching their efforts at the 1994 event in Sydney, Australia. Surpassing that achievement will be the minimum that head coach Fabian Gregory – who took the hot-seat in February this year in place of Charlie Pereira – will expect from his players in The Hague.
Team captain and defensive lynchpin Austin Smith is always a key performer for South Africa, but the side is also boosted by the return of prolific penalty corner expert Justin Reid-Ross, who will compete in his first major international hockey tournament since the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Defender ReidRoss has had an outstanding season with Dutch club side Pinoké, and has just signed a deal to join Amsterdam H&BC, one of the highest profile clubs in world hockey.
Best World Cup results:
The men were 10th in 1994 (Sydney) and 2010 (Bombay) and have taken part in four previous World Cups.
FIH World Ranking:
12th
Team
| 1 Jonathan Robinson | 2 Wade Paton |
| 4 Lioyd Madsen | 5 Austin Smith |
| 7 Timothy Drummond | 8 Dylan Swanepoel |
| 9 Julian Hykes | 10 Lioyd Jones |
| 14 Rhett Halkett | 19 Jean-Pierre de Voux |
| 21 Jethro Eustice | 25 Justin Reid-Ross |
| 26 Ignatius Malgraff | 30 Taine Paton |
| 31 Clinton Panther | 32 Gowan Jones |
Staff
Head Coach – Fabian Gregory
Assistant Coach – Bartel Berkhout
Team Manager – Reginald Smith
Stand-In Manager – Moabi Malebye
Team Doctor – Gavin Shang
Physiotherapist – Megyn Robertson
Women
Following his side’s Bronze medal performance at the recent Champions Challenge 1 event in Glasgow, Scotland, South Africa head coach Giles Bonnet has named an unchanged team for the Rabobank Hockey World Cup. The African champions have a talented and experienced squad, with no fewer than 13 players who have made over 100 senior appearances for their country.
However, the team will have to do it without two key players, with world record goal-scorer Pietie Coetzee and midfielder Jade Mayne both absent through injury.
Following the Champions Challenge 1, the Rabobank Hockey World Cup is the second of three major international tournaments on European soil for South Africa, with the Commonwealth Games (Glasgow,
SCO) also on the horizon.
They will be looking for a strong performance in The Hague and are more than capable of causing a few upsets.
Best World Cup results:
The women were 7th in 1998 (Utrecht) and have taken part in four previous World Cups.
FIH World Ranking:
11th
Team
| 2 Vuyisanani Mangisa | 3 Celia Evans |
| 7 lllse Davids | 8 Marsha Cox |
| 10 Shelley Russell | 11 Marcelle Manson |
| 12 Dirkie Chamberlain | 13 Lisa-Marie Deetlefs |
| 14 Kelly Madsen | 15 Pietie Coetzee |
| 18 Anelle van Deventer | 19 Lilian du Plessis |
| 20 Nicolenne Terblanche | 22 Kathleen Taylor |
| 23 Bernadette Coston | 28 Quanita Bobbs |
| 29 Tarryn Bright | 30 Sulette Damons |
Staff
Head Coach – Giles Bonnet
Assistant Coach – Kurt Cerfontein
Team Manager – Shelson Rostron
Stand-In Manager – John Meintjes
Team Doctor – Gavin Shang
Physiotherapist – Tanu Pillay