The South African hockey teams, both men's and women's team, have been consistently in the FIH top 12 for the past few years. The nation's sports teams all faced a long climb back to the top when South Africa was allowed back onto the international scene following the end of apartheid in the early 1990s, but they had faced six years in the sporting wilderness since a boycott against them had been imposed in 1985. However, if there is one thing that South Africa is passionate about, it is sport and the South African players were soon back competing among the world's elite.
South Africa has consistently been the number one hockey nation in Africa. The men's team has won the African Cup of Nations every year since 1993 and both teams are ranked number one team in Africa.
The men go to the Rabobank Hockey World Cup ranked number 12, and new coach Fabian Gregory will be hoping that his team improves upon its recent performances in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup where they finished last. The women are ranked 11th and their performance in the forth-coming Champions Challenge in Glasgow will be an indicator of their form going into the World Cup.
As both teams demonstrated at the London Olympics, they are capable to punching above their weight.
