The South African Hockey Association today announced the withdrawal of goalkeeper Mariette Rix from the Commonwealth Games Team. Rix has been withdrawn on medical grounds and is currently being rehabilitated for Chronic Lower Back pain that has plagued the player on and off for the last 4-6 months. On this recent development, SAHA CEO has commented that, “it is disappointing to have to withdraw Rix at such an advanced stage in our team’s preparation for the upcoming Commonwealth Games, we have taken our medical teams advice quite seriously and will closely monitor her response to treatment and rehabilitation”.
This setback however, does have a silver lining. Drag Flick Queen, Pietie Coetzee has responded to a national call to join the Commonwealth Games Team. Pietie Coetzee, South Africa’s Hockey “Golden Child” will be heading to New Delhi to increase her unmatched World Record of 194 goals in 199 Test Matches. The inclusion of Pietie Coetzee is certainly no riddle considering that she was amongst the top goal scorers at the recently completed Women’s World Cup in Rosario, Argentina.
The SA Women’s Team will be heading to Delhi in the next few days, with a renewed vitality having had the opportunity to test their skills gained under new National Coach Giles Bonnet. With the team having moved up 2 places in World Cup rankings from 12th to 10th position in Argentina, Bonnet is more than satisfied with the teams’ performance and is now set for the 03-14 October Commonwealth Games.
SA Hockey Association media release
