5th-6th – South Africa v. China: 5-0 (half-time: 2-0)

The first dangerous action of the match was a penalty corner for China, played with an option brilliantly executed but even better defended by South Africa, with Vincent PRIOR in goal. The South Africans scored on the next play by Thornton McDADE to grasp control of the match. The Chinese played at their usual high pace but South Africa were matching them step for step, resulting in an entertaining game flowing back and forth, although with no goal scoring opportunities for a while.

Yi SONG had a superb chance when he received the ball alone at the top of the circle, but he was well closed down by goal-keeper Vincent PRIOR and his reverse stick shot went high. China had another chance on penalty-corner but South Africa defended it well again and… scored again on the next play, this time by Julian HYKES, to go into the break with a comfortable two-goal cushion.

South Africa scored two quick goals early in second period, first a penalty-corner by Justin REID-ROSS then a field goal by Gareth CARR, and the match was suddenly out of reach for China. Nothing was going right for them, they seemed to run out of steam, passes were going astray, they scrambled two more penalty-corners and could not avert a fifth goal by Austin SMITH in the 68th minute.. South Africa ran away with the win, finishing fifth, well above their entry ranking in this competition (8th).