Staff Reporter.
After Sunday’s loss to Jamaica, South Africa came out for their pool G match against Trinidad & Tobago with an injury posing a devastating blow to their hopes of contesting for a medal at the Netball World Cup 2023 in front of their home crowd.
Goal shooter Lenize Potgieter, who played the first three quarters against Jamaica, was ruled out of the rest of the tournament due to injury. She was replaced by reserve Sesandile Owethu Ngubane. Potgieter didn’t play in the Proteas’ games against Wales and Sri Lanka as a precaution regarding what coach Norma Plummer then called “a slight niggle”.
Potgieter had an operation on her right knee in July last year and underwent intense rehabilitation. She missed the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham where South Africa had to settle for sixth position.
Plummer stuck with the same seven for the first two quarters of the game as the Proteas took a commanding 33-15 lead at halftime. Coming back for the third quarter, Nichole Taljaard moved from goal attack to goal shooter while Elmeré van der Bergh came on as goal attack.
With seven minutes to go, Ngubane earned only her second cap for South Africa when she replaced Taljaard. She scored her first goal at a World Cup in the last 30 seconds of the match.
Despite the commanding victory by South Africa, their seventh over Trinidad and Tobago in eight encounters at the World Cup, the Proteas’ below-par goal shooting will be of great concern.
Between Venter, Taljaard and Van der Berg, they missed 14 shots. They could ill-afford that kind of form against tougher opponents, like world champions New Zealand who await on Wednesday.
Most Valuable Player: Nichole Taljaard
Goal Shooting Percentage: 82.1 per cent / 90.3 per cent
Penalty Count (Contact and Obstruction): South Africa 47 / Trinidad & Tobago 55
Quarter scores: 18-12 / 33-15 / 51-21 / 69-28.
England came through a physical test to beat Tonga 72-46 and start the second pool phase of the Netball World Cup with an improved display in Cape Town.