Exclusive: Ryan Julius Relishing Second Bite at Olympic Games with the SA Men’s Hockey Team

South Africa’s outdoor hockey men’s team is preparing to take on the world’s best at this year’s Paris Olympics which kick off later this month in France. 

With a lot riding on the team’s performance this year, SportsBoom.com caught up with one of the experienced players, Ryan Julius ahead of the showpiece. In the interview, he discusses his team’s chances and preparation, lessons from Tokyo 2020, and performance despite funding issues. 

When the SA hockey men’s team runs out for their first Pool A match of this year’s Paris Olympics against the Netherlands, it will be Ryan Julius’s second time donning the green and gold at the prestigious showpiece.
This is after he represented South Africa at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in Japan where they managed a 10th place finish behind New Zealand.

HONOURED TO BE RESELECTED 

Julius was only 26 years old when he was selected to play in his first Olympic Games four years ago.

Back then, there was a lot he hadn’t been exposed to in high-pressure situations, and his game hadn’t fully matured, despite being surrounded by some of the best players in the country.

However, in the four years that have gone by, Julius, playing for Cape Town’s Central Hockey Club, and representing SA at major tournaments has certainly improved on large parts of his game on and off the field. 

He’s played a key role for the National side, and has worked hard on his mental strength, stayed fit, and will enter the showpiece in France a different player with rejuvenated energy. 

Image Credits: Mill Hills Schools 

“This selection is a bit more special than the first time,” he told SportsBoom.com in an exclusive interview before departing South Africa.

“To go to an Olympics is an honour but to do it twice speaks to your consistency and dedication as an athlete. A lot of players go to one, and they’re satisfied but after I attended the edition in Tokyo, I felt there were some stones unturned, and I wante to rectify those mistakes.”

“That fuelled me to stay dedicated, focused, and consistent in my training to give myself the best opportunity to be selected again, so it’s a special feeling.”

LESSONS FROM TOKYO

South Africa, in Tokyo, was drawn in Pool B along with powerhouse teams such as eventual Gold medallists, Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, and Canada.

During their stint in Japan, they played five matches, recorded a famous 4-3 victory against Germany, drew 4-4 with Canada, and tasted defeat against Great Britain, Netherlands, and Belgium. 

It’s the encounter vs the Dutch, however, that still haunts them to this day, after they let a 3-0 lead slip away and allowed their opponents to come back and seal a 5-3 win.

The majority of the players that suffered that defeat are in the current team. Out of the 18 players selected by head coach, Cheslin Gie, 11 participated at the last Games.

They include Julius, the Cassiem brothers (Dayaan, and Mustapha), Matthew Guise-Brown, Nic Spooner, Samkelo Mvimbi, Bili Ntuli, Tevin Kok, Keenan Horne, Dan Bell, and Peabo Lembethe. 

Julius believes the team has matured and is now well-equipped to deal with high-pressure situations that come with an event like the Olympics.

‘We have about 11 guys returning and they have experience of handling certain situations in the game, and that’s something I look forward to testing out and seeing if we have improved.”

“We beat Germany, and against the Netherlands were 3-0 up, and ended up losing that match. That was the first time as a group, where we found ourselves leading against a top team, and how we dealt with it wasn’t mature and we intend on fixing that.” 

The experienced team has only two players with less than 20 International caps, and they are Zenani Kraai and Calvin Davis.
Kraai plays for the Langa Hockey Club in Cape Town, while Davis is a student-athlete at the University of Pretoria and captained the Northerns u21 team to IPT glory this year.

LACK OF FUNDING AND PREPARATION 

The South African Hockey Association’s funding and sponsorship woes are well documented with both men’s and women’s teams struggling financially in recent years.

Last year, it got to an extent where the men’s team was forced to withdraw from the FIH Hockey Pro League after the association (SAHA) cited a lack of sponsorships as the reason. 

The financial situation seems to not have improved this year with many players in the team, including Julius still juggling full-time jobs while committed to playing hockey. 

For the Olympics, the South African Hockey Association (SAHA) revealed that the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) will provide funding for the travel and fully cover the team’s participation at the Games.

There are, however, significant additional costs involved, particularly for a crucial preparation camp in Belgium before the event commences, hence a crowdfunding initiative has been opened.

Despite all these challenges, the team has continued to punch above its weight, and in recent years has done all the talking on the turf.

Last year, they won the Men's African Olympic Qualifiers 2-1 against Egypt to book their ticket to France.
In 2022, they finished fourth at the Commonwealth Games, and in the same year won the FIH Nations Cup beating Ireland 4-3 in the final in Potchefstroom.

Earlier this year, they hosted France, India, and the Netherlands in a Summer Series in Cape Town.

Julius and his teammates defeated France 3-1 but went down 3-0 against the Netherlands and India. 

The side will, however, draw inspiration from their bronze medal finish in last month’s FIH Nations Cup which was hosted in Poland. That tournament was good preparation for Julius and his teammates. 

“I’d say our preparation has been on an upward trajectory. There’s been a lot of gym, running, and focusing on game situations,” Julius said.

“The guys based in the Western Cape have had a lot of high-performance sessions with various provincial players every week, and credit to them for helping us.”

“Yes, it’s tough for us financially, it’s not easy but we can’t use that as an excuse – instead we have to continue showing up in every match.”

“We just hope that we’ve earned the trust and respect of South Africans through our performances. I think it will be a very exciting time for SA Hockey if we can get some funds because the results, we’re producing without funds could improve if we had some sort of financial backing,” he added.