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SA hockey men ready for final

Kakamigahara - A relaxed, focused South Africa men’s hockey team are in the final phases of their preparation for Sunday’s  08:00 SA time Olympic Qualifier Tournament final against host nation Japan in the sleepy town of Kakamigahara three hours’ drive from Tokyo.

The final will be televised live on SuperSport 6, as will the fifth/sixth place playoff between Czech Republic and Brazil, which starts at 03:00, as well as the bronze medal match between China and Austria that sees the first whistle at 05:30.

A final practice was held Saturday and thereafter South Africa's attention turned to the tactical and technical application of those skills against the Japanese in the showdown match that has as its prize the last ticket on offer for the London 2012 Olympic Games men’s hockey event.

Across town at the Japanese squad’s hotel, preparations followed a similar pattern as both teams ready themselves for a clash that is the most important of most of the players’ careers to date.

Saturday’s women’s final saw Japan beat Azerbaijan 5-1.
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