Junior Hockey World Cup 2025: England, South Africa, Ireland, Australia claim wins in classification round
The sun finally broke through the clouds on Thursday, setting the stage for the 9th-16th classification round matches at the FIH Men’s Hockey Junior World Cup 2025. England, South Africa, Ireland, and Australia all secured wins to keep their bid for a ninth-place finish alive at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium.
In the day’s nail-biter, Australia narrowly escaped with a 1-0 victory over Japan, thanks to Ian Grobbelaar’s Penalty Corner (PC) mastery in the 55th minute.
Despite the loss, it was the courageous Japanese side that won the admiration of the Chennai crowd. Japan played with just 15 men—three players were sidelined due to illness—but delivered a display of sheer determination.
The eighth-ranked Australians, reigning Sultan of Johor Cup champions, were pushed to their limit by Japan’s resolute, zonal marking defence. Australia logged 24 circle entries but could only generate four PCs over the 60 minutes. While Japan produced a few dangerous counterattacks, it lacked the final finishing touch near the net.
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“I’m very proud of the boys. It was almost a perfect performance from the team,” said Japan manager Ippei Fujimoto. “Three of the players are ill and are in the hotel. Keeping Australia from scoring for 55 minutes demands a lot of concentration and perfect execution of the plan.”
England triumphs over Chile
The match, initially delayed by 15 minutes due to challenging ground conditions from three days of constant rain, finally saw England assert its dominance against its South American rivals. Determined to prove its quality after narrowly missing out on the top eight, the English side came out strong.
The deadlock was broken in the 12th minute when Kaden Draysey unleashed a powerful drag-flick to put England ahead. The lead was extended six minutes later as Max Anderson clinically finished a sweeping counterattack. While Javier Vargas managed to pull one back for Chile, Jonny Sturch-Hibbitt delivered the decisive blow just moments before halftime to secure the 3-1 victory.
South Africa edges past Malaysia in PC battle
South Africa defeated Malaysia 3-1 with a dominant display of power and possession. The African team controlled the match, earning a commanding 14 PCs from 22 circle entries.
This relentless pressure paid off, with South Africa converting three of those chances. Jaydon Brooker was the star, scoring either side of the half-time break. Ross Montgomery sealed the victory with a goal three minutes from full-time. Malaysia managed a late consolation goal via Aqil Mat’s drag-flick in the final quarter.
Ireland demolishes jaded Switzerland
In the penultimate match of the day, a supremely fit and authoritative Ireland side crushed Switzerland with a dominant 5-2 performance.
The Swiss team, coming off a heavy 0-5 loss to India in Madurai, appeared visibly jaded, struggling to match Ireland’s superior pace and control. Gregory Williams led the charge for the Irish, finding the back of the net twice. Further goals from James Clark, Samuel Dale, and Louis Rowe rounded out the five-goal haul, confirming Ireland’s comprehensive victory.
Australia and England will meet in the 9th–12th classification round, where South Africa will also face Ireland.
In the 13th–16th classification encounters, Malaysia takes on Switzerland, while Chile battles Japan.
Published on Dec 04, 2025