Top netball rivals to clash in netball series in Cape Town this weekend

Spirits are high in both camps ahead of the SPAR Challenge international netball series between the SPAR Proteas and the Vitality Roses at the Bellville Velodrome in Cape Town this weekend.

The teams last met in the bronze medal playoff at the Netball World Cup in Liverpool in July. England won that match 58-42.

Both teams have new coaches, with Dorette Badenhorst taking over from the great Australian coach, Norma Plummer and Jess Thirlby replacing Tracy Neville and both coaches will be trying out new combinations as they start preparations for the World Cup in Cape Town in 2023.

“We’re very excited about this series,” said Badenhorst.

“It’s a new beginning, new coaches and new teams. As far as the SPAR Proteas are concerned, we will be building on what we learned from Norma Plummer. But I believe I can add to that, I have some ideas of my own and I believe I can bring something new to the team,” she said.

“All the players in the team played in the Africa Cup, but for some of them it will be the first time they face a top team like England. We aim to win the series, but it also gives me an opportunity to see how some of the young players respond to pressure.

“It is a ranking competition, and we want to improve our ranking.”

South Africa is currently ranked fifth and England is ranked third.

Thirlby said the rivalry between the SPAR Proteas and the Vitality Roses was rapidly becoming one of the great modern rivalries.

“I think this Test series is a win-win situation. We are determined to win, but whatever happens, we will have learned a lot by the time we get onto the plane to go home,” said Thirlby.

“We have six players who have never played against South Africa and some of them have never played a Test outside England, so they will benefit from the experience.

“It will be our first Test series since the World Cup. We had a tour in Australia and New Zealand at about the time of the Africa Cup, but we played Australia A and New Zealand A rather than the national teams.”

“We are so excited about this series,” said SPAR Proteas captain Bongi Msomi.

“We have lost some senior players. Erin Burger and Maryka Holtzhausen have retired and Karla Pretorius was not available, but we have some very good players who have the opportunity to step up to the next level.

“Our aim in each match is consistency – we can’t afford to fall behind in a single quarter.”

The first Test will be played at the Bellville Velodrome at 7pm on Saturday. It will be preceded by a match between the SPAR Baby Proteas and Lesotho.

The other matches are at 3pm on Saturday and 1pm on Sunday, with the SPAR Baby Proteas and Lesotho playing curtain raisers on both days.