Cassiem admits to areas of improvement after Nations Cup defeat

South Africa controlled large parts of the first half, but France’s ability to quickly transition from defence to attack proved decisive. Forward Victor Charlet displayed quality and scored a hat-trick to guide France to victory.

Despite the disappointing result, Cassiem believes there were encouraging signs in the team’s performance and adds that they will work on correcting their mistakes ahead of their next fixture.

“In the first two quarters we showed what we are made of, and I think the quicker we play the ball forward, the better we will be. We have not played many international games, but that is not an excuse. We will go back to the drawing board and make sure that we rectify our mistakes.

“It is exciting to host. We are happy that all the countries are here and have arrived safely. We look forward to witnessing great competition in both pools. We also call upon South Africans to rally behind the team, buy tickets and support the tournament,” said Cassiem.

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South Africa were dealt a setback when forward Mustapha Cassiem was forced off with an injury, while France continued to dominate after halftime and earned four penalty corners.

“It’s quite difficult losing a player of Mustapha’s ability and vision in the midfield, but now the other guys will just have to work a bit harder,” added Cassiem.

Meanwhile, France forward and player of the match Corentin Sellier described the encounter as a tough contest and believes the victory has put his side in a strong position heading into their next match.

“It was a tough game against South Africa, quite physical, but we managed to come out stronger. This has set the tone for the next game. We’re happy with the weather and conditions, and I think we have settled in well ahead of our next match,” said Sellier.