By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Netball South Africa (NSA) has confirmed the 15-player squad that will represent South Africa at the first ever African stage Netball World Cup.
SPAR Proteas Head Coach Norma Plummer has been in camp with a group of South African-based players who are on a four-week hiatus break from the Telkom Netball League. All the overseas based players were not part of this camp due to commitments in their respect leagues abroad.
The team assembled at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sports (SAS), which has been their training base since 2022 on the May 7 and have worked very closely with the Australian mentor for her to finally select her team.
Plummer will lead her South African charges to their second successive World Cup after doing so again back in 2019. She believes that she has selected the best players to represent South Africa.
“We have been in camp since May 7th, and I believe that we have worked very hard with the players at our disposal. We have had some technical and tactical aspects of the game put to the players and at their game. We manage to get some practice matches as well so that, we are sure. We have chosen the best 15 players (12 traveling and three reserves) which we believe are the best options,” said Plummer.
The players will return to their respective domestic and provincial teams for the remainder of the league that ends on the July 1 . They will meet again in Stellenbosch for the final stretch of the World Cup preparations.
“As a federation, we have given Coach Norma and management team all the support they needed in preparing the best team for the World Cup. This will be for the first time in 60 years that a Netball World Cup is hosted on African soil, therefore our expectation for podium finish as hosts is a fair one. We can’t host and become spectators in our own backyard – we need to make sure that South Africa and other African countries make it to the podium come 6 August,” said Cecilia Molokwane, Netball South Africa President.
The Netball World Cup will be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 28 July to 6 August, where 16 of the world’s best netball countries will vie for the ultimate prize, to be world champion.
South Africa finished a highly commendable fourth at the last showpiece in the United Kingdom in 2019, where they lost narrowly to Australia in the semi-finals before losing the bronze medal playoff to hosts England.
The hosts have been drawn into the same group with Jamaica in Pool C, their strongest rivals for a top four place, as well as Wales and Sri Lanka.
The players selected to don the green and gold for South Africa during the 2023 Netball World Cup and represent the country are:
Bongiwe Msomi (capt); Karla Pretorius (VC); Khanyisa Chawane; Izette Griesel; Owethu Ngubane; Refiloe Nketsa; Phumza Maweni; Lenize Potgieter; Lefebre Rademan; Nicola Smith; Jeante Strydom; Nichole Taljaard; Elmere van der Berg; Shadine van der Merwe, Ine-Mari Venter.