Rhine-Ruhr, Germany – July 21, 2025
South Africa’s men’s fencing trio of Harry Saner, Rahul van Manen, and Christiaan Bester delivered a noteworthy performance in the team épée event at the 2025 FISU World University Games. The team recorded a hard-fought win against hosts Germany in the Table of 32 before exiting the competition against Hungary in the next round.
Upset Victory Against Germany
In the opening round at Messe Essen Hall 5, South Africa went up against Germany, a side expected to have the upper hand on home ground. Instead, the South Africans produced a composed display to secure a 45–38 win and advance to the Round of 16.
The match was tightly contested across the nine bouts, with each South African fencer playing a crucial role. Christiaan Bester gave South Africa a strong start, landing decisive touches in his opening bout against Max Straub. Rahul van Manen maintained momentum by edging past Straub and later holding his own against Julius Ruppenthal, while Harry Saner added valuable points in key moments against both Mika Ehringhaus and Michael Trebis.
As the rotations progressed, the scores remained close, but South Africa held their composure. Going into the final bouts, Saner and Bester produced the necessary touches to pull clear and close out the match with a seven-point margin.
Round by round score progression – South Africa vs Germany (45–38):
- Bester 5–2 Straub
- Van Manen 4–8 Ehringhaus
- Saner 5–5 Ruppenthal
- Van Manen 6–2 Straub
- Bester 4–8 Ruppenthal
- Saner 6–1 Ehringhaus
- Van Manen 5–8 Ruppenthal
- Saner 5–2 Trebis
- Bester 5–2 Ehringhaus
Narrow Early Contest, Hungary Edge Ahead
In the Table of 16, South Africa faced Hungary, one of the strongest teams in the competition. The contest began evenly, with both teams exchanging points in the early stages. After four bouts the match was level at 17–17, giving South Africa reason for encouragement.
Van Manen impressed again, scoring seven touches in his second bout against Soma Somody, while Saner contained Hungary’s Maruan Osman Touson to keep South Africa within touching distance. Bester, too, contributed steadily against high-quality opposition.
As the match entered the later rounds, Hungary’s consistency began to show. They gradually extended their lead, and despite South Africa’s efforts, the tie finished 45–32 in Hungary’s favour.
Round by round score progression – South Africa vs Hungary (32–45):
- Bester 4–5 Somody
- Van Manen 2–5 Kovács
- Saner 4–2 Osman Touson
- Van Manen 7–5 Somody
- Bester 2–5 Osman Touson
- Saner 2–4 Kovács
- Van Manen 2–6 Osman Touson
- Saner 7–8 Somody
- Bester 2–5 Kovács
Building on Individual Campaigns
This team performance followed the trio’s efforts in the individual épée competition on Day 2. In those bouts, Saner, Van Manen, and Bester all battled through their group stages with mixed results. Bester advanced to the Table of 64 after a 4–2 record in his pool, while both Van Manen and Saner finished 3–3. All three produced close contests in the knockout rounds, with Van Manen losing 14–15 and Bester edged 12–15.
Though those results ended their individual runs, the collective showing in the team event highlighted their ability to regroup and perform together on the bigger stage.
Conclusion
South Africa’s men’s épée team can take encouragement from their campaign. The win against Germany was a significant step forward, while the match against Hungary demonstrated that they could compete for long periods against world-class opposition.
While the journey ended in the Round of 16, the experience gained and the composure shown under pressure will serve as valuable building blocks as South African fencing continues to develop and we are more frequently seeing our fencers involved in international events across Africa and Europe.
For More South African Sports News: Sport South Africa Home Page
For More South African World University Games News:
Day 4 Recap – Semifinal Successes and Relay Efforts for Team SA in the Pool
Day 4 Diving Recap – Heydra Leads the Charge for Team SA in Women’s 3m Springboard
Narrow Defeat for South Africa in Mixed Doubles Thriller Against Japan
