The battle grounds have been laid and set for the playoffs, with teams from around the country emerging as lead contenders on Wednesday as competition in the pool stages was settled at the SASHOC U-18 Nationals in Stellenbosch.

In the girls A-section, hosts Boland will face Southern Free State in the first semi-final on Thursday, with Amathole squaring off against Western Province in the other playoff.

Amathole finished top of Pool A, one point ahead of Boland, and Southern Free State ended top of Pool B, edging out Western Province. Third-placed Southern Gauteng narrowly missed out on the medal playoffs due to goal difference.

In the boys A-section, a derby battle will be contested between KZN Coastal and KZN Inland in the first semi-final on Thursday, while Western Province will meet Southern Free State in the other contest.

Western Province finished top of Pool A, though they were level on points with second-placed KZN Coastal, while KZN Inland ended top of Pool B, with runners-up Southern Free State narrowly holding off Boland on goal difference to keep their title hopes alive.

The six-day SASHOC U-18 Nationals, showcasing South Africa’s most promising young hockey players, will come to a close on Friday, 1 July.
All the playoff action, to be held on Thursday and Friday, will be streamed live and highlights are available on the SuperSport App.