SA men's hockey team savour the prospect of another giant-killing act against top dogs Germany

Cape Town - There is a great sense of anticipation in the South African men's hockey camp as the team winds up its preparations to debut in the elite Men's FIH (International Hockey Federation) Pro League.

Nine of the top 13 world-ranked countries will compete in the competition, which starts this weekend in Spain and Potchefstroom, South Africa. Over the next two weeks, South Africa, India, Belgium, The Netherlands, France and Germany will be playing in Potchefstroom. Further north, Spain will host England for back-to-back encounters.

The match that offers an intriguing prospect is the SA - Germany showdown after their clash produced one of the highlights of the international season last year. In a Tokyo pool match SA then ranked world No 13, caused a major upset by defeating Germany 4-3 at the Olympics.

The highly-fancied Germany were bronze medallists at the Rio Olympics (2016).

Subsequently, the video of the match became an internet sensation, and it was voted by fans worldwide as the second-best international hockey match for 2021.

ALSO READ: SA hockey teams excited about World Cup’ after Africa Cup of Nations triumphs

Cheslyn Gie, the team's assistant coach at the Olympics, still serves in that capacity. He said the team's technical staff have looked at the video of the SA - Germany match, and have done analysis. This will help fine-tune the team's preparation ahead of the opening match against world No 4 The Netherlands, next week.

'We have watched the highlights, and it brings back fond memories of that match," said Gie. "We had a look at how we prepared for that match, and we'll do the same now.

"We all (technical staff) dissect the matches, and we always look at video material of opposition teams.

"We make