Sure enough, the call finally came – making his debut for the national indoor hockey team at the Afcon tournament in Namibia in 2024. And from there, it just got better and better.
“ We actually lost that final but qualified for the World Cup and I got Goalkeeper of the Tournament at my first international tournament there, which was amazing. And then six months later we won the bronze at the World Cup.
“ That was honestly the most emotional, surreal tournament for all of us, because we had the dream, and we had the clear goal as the indoor men ' s setup that we knew we could medal at a World Cup.
“ We knew we had the talent, we knew we could compete with the best teams, we knew we could do it … And when it happened, it was just surreal. I think almost every guy in the team cried. The coaching staff who had been waiting so many years just cried and cried. It was amazing. It was the best feeling.”
Perhaps what made the victory even more emotional were the sacrifices the cash-strapped team had made along the way.
“ The tournament before that World Cup, we didn ' t have hotel accommodation because we didn ' t have funding, so we slept on stretchers in a school hall for two weeks on a camp. But it ' s things like that that make you closer as a team, and when we got to the tournament, everything just clicked.”
By that stage De Jager had firmly established himself as part of the SA indoor setup and soon made his outdoor debut.
Like many goalkeepers, De Jager didn’ t start out in goal. He was roped in when one of his junior teams was short. But it didn’ t take long for him to make the position his own.
“ Like they always say, goalkeepers are a little bit crazy,” he admits with a laugh.
“ I think when I started, the biggest thing for me was that I was never scared of a hockey ball. I mean, a hockey ball hurts. You must see my body now, I ' m just bruises everywhere.
“ But I think naturally I just had the movements of a goalkeeper. I had the ball sense and that. And I think mentally also there ' s a big aspect to it because you have to like playing an individual sport even though you ' re in a team sport. So, there ' s that edge, and you also have to like consequence.
“ I love the fact that if I make a mistake, there ' s a big consequence to it, or if I make a save, it ' s a huge thing because you ' ve kept your team in it. And I think some people thrive under that pressure, and some people don ' t. And from an early age, I knew that I enjoyed that, and that ' s what I wanted to do.”
De Jager credits his deep Christian faith with providing that peace under pressure. In a world as inherently selfish as elite sport, he believes it ' s important to believe in something bigger than yourself.
Nowhere was that clearer than at the recent Nations Cup, particularly in the semifinal against New Zealand, which went to a shootout.
“ After I made the first save, I was like, okay, cool. That ' s always my goal for any game or shootout is so long as I make the first save, then I settle. And when I made the first one, I knew that I was settled and I felt really good. And then made the second one, made the third one, made the fourth one. And I mean, saving four and winning 2-0 in a shootout in a semifinal in your home stadium, it was the most incredible feeling …
“ Such a blessing … I can ' t even describe it, what it feels like. My phone blew up. I ' m still working through. I think I had like over 400 messages or something ridiculous. It was crazy”
South Africa couldn ' t quite complete the fairytale, falling to France in the final before bouncing back with a 3-0 bilateral series win over Malaysia in Durban. Now the challenge gets even bigger – the FIH Hockey World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands from 15-30 August.
Without the type of support that the Springboks or Bafana Bafana enjoy, World Cups are a completely different prospect for the SA hockey teams.
De Jager worked in a corporate job for a few years after completing his BCom Finance and then Honours in Investment Management at UJ, but it was not sustainable with the amount of leave needed to represent his country. Thankfully he was able to start his own finance company but others in the team don’ t have that option.
“ Potentially some guys in the team had to quit their jobs just to play this World Cup because their companies wouldn ' t give them leave. So, it is frustrating and I think we have the talent to be paid,” he explained.
“ But I think it ' s also a strength of ours is that all the guys in the team are so passionate about South Africa and hockey in South Africa that we just keep working hard no matter what … I think we just kind of have to settle that we ' re living our dreams and that ' s why you keep pushing.”
That dream will hopefully take De Jager to join the likes of teammates Dayaan and Mustapha
FIH Hockey World Cup – SA men’ s pool fixtures
Sunday, 16 August: SA v Spain – 14:30
Tuesday, 18 August: SA v Ireland – 15:00
Thursday, 20 August: SA v Australia – 11:00
FEATURE
Cassiem to play in one of the professional leagues in Europe in the next year, with several clubs already having expressed interest.
Looking ahead to the World Cup, he reckoned:“ I think we have to be realistic. I would love to say we ' re going to go and win a medal or whatever, but without the funding and a proper programme, it ' s really tough.
“ Even though our prep is really good for this World Cup – it ' s probably the best it ' s ever been – I think we ' d definitely like to make it out of our pool and make the top eight. I think top eight is a realistic and good goal for the team.
“ My dream... I ' d love to have a Goalkeeper of the Tournament at a World Cup. That would be absolutely incredible. But I’ ve just got to keep the team in it and make sure the team does well, and then hopefully the accolades follow for a lot of us.”
It ' s that blend of ambition and humility that has taken him this far and will more than likely carry him to achieve his dual aims of reaching the next Olympic Games in 2028 – and maybe one day even winning the FIH Goalkeeper of the Year award.
While some of his time is taken up with work, playing guitar and even a bit of golf when he can fit it in, hockey is very much his main focus and passion. Even his sister, Morgan, and his girlfriend, Cailynn den Bakker play for the SA women’ s hockey team.
“ I think growing up hockey was always my release. It was just those two, three hours you get on a turf where there are no worries in the world … So, I think that ' s definitely the part that I love. It ' s always been my safe space and my release.
“ And I just love the pressure of it, the highperformance environment. I ' m someone who needs accountability and who needs to have consequences in their life. I ' m quite OCD, so I need structure. And I feel like being in a setup like that, it really just keeps a lot of structure in my life and I love it. I just love the pressure and love performing at a high level.”
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