The Proteas netball team have hope, but they must play out their skin

For all the hype and expectation around the Proteas in the build-up to the Netball World Cup, with the national federation insisting it wants a medal from the SA team on home soil, the reality is that the hosts are going to have to play out their skin just to make the playoffs.

It’s great that Netball South Africa is setting a high standard, and the Proteas are no doubt hungry to break a 28-year-old medal drought at the showpiece starting in Cape Town next week, but an objective view shows just how tough it is going to be.

In terms of favourites, Australia will enter the tournament as the team to beat. The 11-time world champions currently hold the Commonwealth Games, Quad Series and Fast5 World Series titles, and they will be ready to tear up the court.

The other three teams ranked above the Proteas – defending World Cup champions New Zealand, and powerhouse netball nations England and Jamaica – have also consistently stepped on the podium at major international championships in recent years.

There are, of course, reasons for this. The world’s top four nations all have either their own professional leagues or most of their players compete as professionals in the top leagues around the globe.

Most of the SA squad, however, are semi-professional or amateur players, and many of them are either students or they have to hold down full-time jobs.

Confidence boosters

All that said, it would be false to suggest the Proteas are not capable of causing an upset, and they have a few reasons to give them a boost in confidence.

Firstly, the semi-professional Telkom League has seen an improvement in domestic standards, and this has been reflected by improved performances from the national team who have undoubtedly narrowed the gap on the world’s top four sides.

In addition, while Dorette Badenhorst is one of the country’s best coaches, the decision to rope Norma Plummer back in will also be key. The globally renowned Australian coach has proved before that she can get the best out of the Proteas after guiding them to the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup in Liverpool.

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And the energy from the crowd at the International Convention Centre will also make a difference, as the SA team have produced some of their best results on home soil.

So there’s no reason for us to suggest the Proteas have no hope. They have plenty.

But with a handful of teams entering the tournament with better chances on paper, and a rising Uganda side breathing down their necks, hope will not be enough and the hosts will need to be at their best to step on the podium.

The odds are against them, but with enough effort and support, they might just pull it off.