Proteas are Polocrosse World Cup champions
South African polocrosse team shines at the big stage and successfully defended their title.
THE South African polocrosse team was crowned the 2015 World Cup champions when they defeated Zambia in the finals held on Sunday, 12 July at the Durban Shongweni Club.
The proteas successfully defended their 2011 title in the all-African final; the runners-up, Zambia, climbed from eighth on the world rankings to number two. More than 5 000 spectators turned up to enjoy the final day’s action.
President of the International Polocrosse Council, Wessel Strauss, said it has been a great milestone in South African polocrosse history.
“The Proteas have now won the World Cup title twice in a row. It has been an honour for me to end my time as the IPC president on a high note with SA proving that they are the champions. I would like to thank every player from across the world for a great event,” said Strauss.
An on-form Zambian side came out flying in the final and they were quick to put goals on the scoreboard. The showdown proved to be a nail-biting affair, with a goal scored every 52 seconds. The situation shifted in favour of the Proteas when the ladies’ team came out and scored five goals early on, and this proved to be a game changer. The Protea men continued the charge to secure victory ahead of Zambia with 32 goals to 23.
André Truter, President of the Polocrosse Association of South Africa, said, “We are a proud nation and I am a proud president. To see an all-African final on African soil meant that polocrosse was always going to be the winner today. I would like to salute our team for converting the pressure that they were under into focus and determination, which saw them crowned champions,” he said.
The play-off for third and fourth place never disappointed: the United Kingdom (UK) came out firing and led by putting the first goal on the board. The courageous UK side continued to put up a brave fight against an extremely talented and experienced Australian team. Australia went on to secure a well-deserved victory with 25 goals to 19 to finish third overall. The UK side moved up in the world rankings from sixth to fourth. Australia retained third place in the world rankings.
“The UK did really well against a strong Australian side – both sides will leave tournament looking forward to the 2019 Polocrosse World Cup; they can pat themselves on the back for never disappointing their spectators and fans right up until the end,” added Truter.
Visit the official Facebook page – Polocrosse World Cup South Africa – and the Twitter page – @PolocrosseSA – the official event hashtag is #PolocrosseWC.
Polocrosse World Cup Final results
Australia – 25; United Kingdom – 19; South Africa – 32; Zambia – 23.
Overall Polocrosse World Cup results:
First, South Africa; second, Zambia; third, Australia; fourth, United Kingdom; fifth, New Zealand; sixth, Zimbabwe; seventh, USA; eighth, Ireland.
