The Proteas are expected to be successful at this year’s Netball World Cup, given their opponents, but the game isn’t played on paper.
South Africa have had a less than ideal year in terms of results.
They were winless in the Quad Series that was played in Cape Town earlier this year. They managed a commendable draw against England, but weren’t able to notch up a victory.
However, something teams prioritise over results is getting to face topclass international opposition.
And this is something that will be no different for Norma Plummer’s team, who took on World No 1 side Australia, current world champions New Zealand and highly fancied England.
Here is who Proteas captain Bongi Msomi will be leading her team against at the World Cup...
Wales
First up, the Proteas take on Wales in their opening game at the World Cup (6pm start tonight). The Welsh have qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 2015, so they could be a surprise package this time around.
Also playing the host nation is set to be a tricky task in the first game, and this is something that SA can certainly use to their advantage.
Wales will also have 10 World Cup debutants, and among them is veteran and captain Nia Jones.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka are rather a mixed bag and have won several Asian Championships, but World Cup glory hasn’t been something they have secured.
At the 2019 World Cup, they finished 15th out of the 16 teams, so by the looks of it, if SA can get their tactics right, they can get a win over the island nation tomorrow (4pm start).
Sri Lanka have the tallest player in the tournament in their ranks. Tharjini Sivalingam comes in at a towering 2.06m tall, and will no doubt want to use her height to gain an advantage over the hosts.
Jamaica
Now this is a fixture that we are looking forward to. It’s the Proteas’ final group game on Sunday (6pm start), and it could prove to be the toughest of the preliminary stage fixtures.
They are currently ranked fourth, one place ahead of SA, who are in fifth place on the world rankings.
“The Sunshine Girls” have been dubbed the “dark horses” ahead of the World Cup. Jamaica have been competing at the top level for a while now and were losing finalists at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, where they went down to Australia to secure the silver medal.
@AliciaPillay56