Members of the Proteas netball team acknowledge the crowd after beating Uganda in their World Cup match at Cape Town International Convention Centre. Picture: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images/Netball World Cup 2023
Left to try and pick themselves up while licking their wounds, after crashing out of the semi-final race at the Netball World Cup, Proteas captain Bongi Msomi has urged her team to get back on their feet and finish their campaign in style.
The host nation defeated Uganda 52-50 in their last match of the second round in Cape Town on Thursday, finishing third in Group G.
They had entered the contest needing to win by 64 points, in order to progress to the medal playoffs, and they were ultimately relegated to the playoffs for fifth to eighth positions.
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At half-time, the SA team were 14 points ahead of Uganda, and Msomi said they still clung to some hope, but the She-Cranes fought back to narrow the gap in the second half.
“At half-time it felt like we still had a chance. You always have a chance until you don’t have one,” Msomi said.
The Proteas will face World Cup debutants Tonga in their first playoff match at 6pm on Friday.
Should they win that game, as expected, they will meet either Uganda or Malawi on Sunday in the battle for fifth and sixth places.
“At this stage it’s disappointing, but we have to focus on keeping our ranking because Uganda is really good,” Msomi said.
“If we are going to come up against them again, they are going to come hard.”
The World Cup semi-finals will be held on Saturday, with England facing New Zealand at 11am and Jamaica playing Australia at 4pm.
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