Msomi ‘proud’ to see Proteas step up in crunch battle against Silver Ferns

It is going to require a miracle from the sporting gods for the Proteas to stay in the hunt for a medal, but captain Bongi Msomi was delighted with her team for keeping their hopes alive in a thrilling draw against title holders New Zealand at the Netball World Cup in Cape Town.

The home side dug deep on Thursday night to level the scores at 48-48 before the final whistle. This result secured them a point and left them with a slim chance of qualifying for the semi-finals.

“We believed that we could put up a great performance. It would have been great if it was a win, but we will take the draw,” Msomi said.

“I’ve been with the girls for a long time. We’ve worked really hard to get in such positions and a few times we’ve let ourselves down.

“There’s so much pride to see them step up and play good netball. For me to be a part of that, it’s fantastic.”

Tough challenge ahead

However, having lost to Jamaica in the opening round, South Africa will need to thump Uganda in their last match of the second round, to be played at 4pm on Thursday. And they will have to hope Jamaica crush New Zealand, in order for the Proteas to close down a 74-point goal difference on the Silver Ferns.

Jamaica have already booked their place in the semi-finals from Group G, while Australia and England have qualified from Group F, leaving South Africa and New Zealand battling it out for the last spot in the podium playoffs.

Head coach Norma Plummer admitted the SA team would have to be at their best once more against a gutsy Uganda side who will be looking to make a statement after missing out on the semi-finals.

“Uganda has been playing really well at this World Cup,” Plummer said.

“They have a totally different style of play and we have to work around that. Hopefully we can challenge them right to the end of the match.”

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