Both the men’s and women’s teams of South Africa maintained their supremacy on day two of the Africa Netball Cup, winning on Tuesday night at the MTC Dome in Swakopmund, Namibia.
The Spar Proteas demonstrated their dominance over Malawi with an impressive 65-35 victory, while the men’s team, despite facing significant challenges, managed to secure a hard-fought 41-39 victory over Zimbabwe.
The Proteas got off to a great start in the first quarter, taking an early 14–9 lead.
They showed off their superior skill and strategy as they continued to pull away in the second quarter, leading 33–17 at the half.
In the third quarter, they continued to dominate, increasing their lead to 51-27 and securing a resounding victory. This demonstrated their general depth and strength.
Proteas reacted well to Malawi’s challenge
Jenny van Dyk, the coach of Spar Proteas, praised her team’s performance but also recognised the Malawian national team’s notable progress.
“I’m pleased with how the team performed against Malawi,” Van Dyk said.
“This is the best Malawi has played. They brought an excellent game with a lot of speed, and I think the players reacted well.
“Well done to Malawi. I can see a substantial improvement after our Test series against them. We were consistent throughout four quarters, and I’m pleased with the performance.”
The men’s team, meanwhile, increased their winning run against Zimbabwe to four victories so far this season.
The match was fiercely contested, with neither team willing to concede, but SA persevered and won by a slim margin.
Zimbabwe pushed us to the limit
Although coach Jabulani Vilane acknowledged that the Zimbabwe game was difficult, he highlighted the boys’ perseverance and their two-goal victory.
“Yesterday’s game was not as easy as the one we played during the Test series at the curtain-raiser. Zimbabwe came prepared for us,” Vilane said.
“They knew how to eliminate our players, and they were physical and emotional. So, we had to keep ourselves intact and figure out ways to keep up with every quarter.
“However, in the third quarter, we drew with them, and we lost the last quarter, but what we tried to rectify in training was a success.
“We still need to have time to work on our mindset though, because we still have two tough games or three that we need to play. But other than that, the boys fought well because we won by a two-goal difference.”
On Wednesday, the men’s team will face Zambia at 10am and Eswatini at 4pm, while the Spar Proteas will only return to action on Thursday at 2pm against Zambia in their quest to secure a place in the semi-finals.
