{"id":60888,"date":"2024-11-18T11:38:50","date_gmt":"2024-11-18T09:38:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=60888"},"modified":"2024-11-18T11:38:50","modified_gmt":"2024-11-18T09:38:50","slug":"buffalo-city-embraces-underdogs-title-ahead-of-ipt-in-home-waters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=60888","title":{"rendered":"Buffalo City embraces “underdogs” title ahead of IPT in home waters"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo:
The Buffalo City u19 boys’ team finished in fourth place at the 2024 year’s Currie Cup. Photo: Shot by Shani Photography<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Western Province<\/strong>, KwaZulu-Natal<\/strong>, and Central Gauteng<\/strong> lead the pack as the favourites for the Schools Water Polo South Africa<\/strong> Inter-Provincial Water Polo Tournament<\/strong>, and rightfully so.<\/p>\n

That trio will enter the annual tournament, which takes place in East London from 7-11 December, high in confidence and with a spring in their step after showcasing some of their best water polo in 2024.<\/p>\n

In their respective squads, they boast many players who represent some of the top schools’ teams in the country, including some who played for the South African team<\/a><\/strong> at the World Aquatics Men’s u18 Water Polo Championships <\/strong>in Argentina in July.<\/p>\n

Province are known for their unorthodox approach to tournaments under coach Jabulani Sibiya<\/a><\/strong>, while KZN<\/a> <\/strong>and Central Gauteng<\/a><\/strong> are no strangers to the big leagues. Earlier this year, they contested the Currie Cup final, which Gauteng won 8-6<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

A team that will have a point to prove, however, is Buffalo City<\/strong>, who will host the inter-provincial u18 tournament at the Joan Harrison Swimming<\/strong> Pools<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Eastern Cape side is on a mission to reignite water polo in the region by mixing it up with the big guns and forcing their way into the conversation about title contenders.<\/p>\n

They finished a solid fifth at last year’s IPT in Gqeberha<\/a> <\/strong>and followed that up with a fourth-place finish at the Currie Cup earlier this year.<\/p>\n

Buffalo City has shown progress, and the forthcoming tournament will provide them with a chance to again prove their competitiveness against the best teams from around the country. And they’ll boosted by their passionate home supporters.<\/p>\n

At the helm will be newly appointed head coach Storm Siebert<\/strong>, who has taken over the reins from Khanyisa Mpumlwana<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Siebert is also the first team coach at Selborne College <\/strong>and has enjoyed success with the side in recent seasons. He’s been promoted within the provincial structures after a stint with the u16 team.<\/p>\n

The Buffalo City team he’ll lead boasts a mixture of experience and youth and Siebert believes they stand a chance of making an impact despite facing some challenges ahead of the tournament.<\/p>\n

“I believe the team that has been chosen is the strongest team possible, and the boys play together regularly at school level,” he told SuperSport Schools Plus<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

“The chemistry and synergy will be there at IPT.<\/p>\n

“Our preparation has been good so far, with us being able to practice quite often. But I must say, match time is an issue due to where we are situated and not much opposition to play against.”<\/p>\n

In the Buffalo City region, only a limited number of schools – Selborne College, Hudson Park<\/strong>, Merrifield College<\/strong>, and Stirling High School<\/strong> – have a fully functioning boys’ water polo programme. The 2024 Buffalo City team is made up entirely of players from Selborne.<\/p>\n

Siebert has been forced to deal with the cards that he’s been dealt and, instead of complaining, he has embraced the opportunity and set realistic expectations for his team.<\/p>\n

\"Liam
Liam Hansen will feature for Buffalo City in this year’s IPT. Photo: Shot by Shani Photography<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Being the underdogs is definitely something we will be embracing throughout the tournament. These boys thrive on the underdog label and we will have absolutely nothing to lose,” he said.<\/p>\n

“I firmly believe a top-four finish is a realistic goal if everything goes according to plan and the boys show up in those important moments.<\/p>\n

“The boys are extremely excited to compete at IPT, and they are a group of boys that will fight for each other until the very last whistle. I can’t wait to see what they produce this year, and I know, regardless of the end result, I’ll be extremely proud of their efforts.”<\/p>\n

The team will be captained by Daniel Breetzke<\/strong> and Kairon Roux<\/strong>, who will be playing in their final IPT alongside Sean Audie<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The tournament also marks a milestone in Siebert’s coaching career. It will be the first time he leads a senior team at an IPT, and that’s something he’s excited about.<\/p>\n

“I was absolutely stoked with the opportunity to coach the u19 Buffalo City Boys team for the first time,” he admitted.<\/p>\n

“It is a big step up from age group level coaching, and I can’t wait to learn and grow as a coach over this IPT.”<\/p>\n

Buffalo City u19 team<\/strong><\/p>\n

Eythan Assam, Sean Audie, Matthew Bean, Daniel Breetzke, Thomas Caswell, Liam Hansen, Mitchell Holl, Connor Maree, Rodney Mashaya, Kairon Roux, Dominic Stegmann, Samuel van der Venter (all Selborne College).<\/p>\n

Non-travelling reserves<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gino De Ascencao (Stirling High), Michael Oliver (Stirling High), Daniel Stead (Merrifield College), Luke Stegmann (Selborne College).<\/p>\n

Head coach: Storm Siebert
\nManager: Joshua Carr<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Western Province, KwaZulu-Natal, and Central Gauteng lead the pack as the favourites for the Schools Water Polo South Africa Inter-Provincial Water Polo Tournament, and rightfully so. That trio will enter the annual tournament, which takes place in East London from 7-11 December, high in confidence and with a spring in their step after showcasing some […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":60889,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60888","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=60888"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60888\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=60888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=60888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=60888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}