Eustice and compatriots were in action at the 2016 Pro Series Indoor (PSi) Greenfields Indoor Series against the International All Stars, in Cape Town, during a four-match series which took place from December 10 to 14.
The All Stars squad consisted of four hockey world cup-winning Dutch players, three German Olympic gold medallists, South African outdoor hockey captain Austin Smith and exciting Namibian talent Brynn Cleak.
The South Africans, with eyes firmly focused on the 2018 Indoor Hockey World Cup in Argentina, have been looking to showcase their skills against quality opposition and the series, at the University of Cape Town’s Sports Centre, offered them the ideal opportunity to enhance their talents.
On Saturday, the team went down 11-7 followed by a 15-7 defeat on Sunday, with Eustice scoring a goal in each match.
The matches on December 13 and 14 were still to be played at the time of going to press.
With regards to those opening two matches, Eustice said: “They [the All Stars] are good, but we are getting so much better.
“We really need to brush up on our defence though.
“Scoring against them is great, but we need to stop them at the back.”
He added that the opposition is the best indoor team he has ever come up against.
“We have one thing to do here and that is to learn how to play against the world’s elite.
“It has been really amazing testing my skills against these players but, in saying that, it has been extremely tough to perform all the skills that were easy for me to do in local competition.
“The intensity of the games has been incredibly high and, when things have clicked for both teams, there have been awesome goals.”
Eustice added that South African indoor hockey has progressed massively this year.
“We have about 23 players fighting for spots in the final indoor world cup squad.
“This makes the competition really good and the players are pushing each other to be better.
“The PSi national series has given us an excellent platform to progress.”
The Benonian hockey star is looking forward to a jam-packed 2017 schedule on the outdoor field and under the roof.
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