After a challenging match filled with memorable moments and controversy, South African netball coach Jenny van Dyk has raised critical questions about how the unique African style of play is perceived and officiated in international competitions. Her remarks follow the Proteas’ narrow 61-55 defeat to hosts England in the Netball Nations Cup final, held at the packed Copper Box Arena in London.
Van Dyk was reacting to centre Refiloe Nketsa’s sending off in the third quarter of Sunday’s thrilling Netball Nations Cup final against hosts England that posed a significant challenge for the team.
The Proteas had to endure a difficult period in the third quarter when centre Nketsa was sent off court for dangerous play.
“Im not even quite sure what happened there but we’ll have to go back and look at what could have gone wrong. But no excuses.
“I felt that we spent six minutes playing with only six players on the court in a final, you know we have to ask the questions what happened there,” Van Dyk said afterwards.
Instead of faltering with a player down, South Africa remained resilient. Van Dyk praised her team for standing their ground even when outnumbered.
“At the end of the day, coming back into the game with only six players on board, I just thought that was the true South African character and our nation’s spirit,” she said. “It’s about finishing strong, and we said it from the start that it was important for us to stay in the game and I felt that we did.”
With five of the world’s top 15 netball-ranked nations from Africa, the Proteas coach also questioned whether their unique African style of play was considered when competing against teams from other continents.
She further emphasised that if this style is not acknowledged and officiating does not align with the African approach, they would be forced to adapt to succeed at international competitions.
“There are still of adaptations we need to make in the way that we play the game in order to have a team that is in a position where we can have seven players on court contesting for a win.”
She admitted that some of the combinations the Proteas tried did not come off in the pressure cooker situation of the final. However, the innovative coach has never shied away from evolving her tactics.
“Some of the combinations proved not as solid as first assumed and obviously we know what we need to work on combination-wise,” she said.
But the coach is not losing sight of their achievements in a tough series. These included a 61-59 win over the Roses a week ago as they won their first three matches.
“We know we can beat this team. We now know exactly what we need to do in the future to get ourselves over the line,” she said.
The Proteas’ other two wins came against African rivals Uganda and Malawi. The Nations Cup marked the end of a tough overseas campaign for the Proteas.
It followed hot on the heels of a challenging three-Test series defeat against Jamaica in the Caribbean. But it is the kind of competition the coach has been asking for as she seeks to take her team from also-rans to medal contenders.
She has one eye on next year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
“At the end of the day, there’s no excuses for us. We’ve had a great campaign, but we’ve been away from home for a long time,” Van Dyk said. “That being said, I’m very proud of my players. I felt they showed so much character.”
The Proteas will be returning to South Africa Tuesday morning. They are expected to arrive at OR Tambo International Airport at 9.30am.