The Spar Proteas are set to face off against the Silver Ferns in the 2025 Taimi Janison Trophy in a three international test-match South Africa v New Zealand thriller. The last time the two nations clashed was during the 2023 Netball World Cup match that ended in a 48-all draw.
Coach Jenny van Dyk and her charges arrived in Auckland on Sunday evening, and the team almost immediately got down to business with a few training sessions under their belt to date.
van Dyk selected a 15-player team for this series and has confirmed that the team is ready to take to court, do well and make the nation proud, including the new players that have been called up to the team.
Talk around the opposition camp - following the standing down of their head coach Dame Noeline Taurua and her Assistants Debbie Fuller and Briony Akle - has become extra motivation for the Spar Proteas, as it is not yet clear how this news would affect the Silver Ferns.
“We will not allow the news from Silver Ferns to make us relax because this could go either way – the team might be stronger and want to prove that they can do it with their long serving coach or they can fall apart – regardless of what they do, it is important for us to stick to our game plan and ensure that we execute it accordingly.
"We have assembled a team that we believe is good enough to compete. Ours is to make sure that we show up, are prepared and do well,” Coach Jenny van Dyk, Spar Proteas Head Coach.
The Spar Proteas would be looking to get only their second win against their opponents, with New Zealand enjoy 36 wins in 38 matches, one draw and suffering only solitary loss. When you consider the rivalry between the two countries across various sporting codes, a win in Auckland for South Africa is one Coach Jenny would savour most.
From a playing personnel, Shadine van der Merwe makes a welcomed return to the team for the first time since the 2023 Netball World Cup and will step into the vice captaincy. Nozipho Ntshangase also makes a return to the side, while Entle Futshane and Juanita van Tonder are the only uncapped players.
Spar Proteas go into this series as underdogs. However, Coach Jenny understands that the tag also comes with its own pressures: “we are seen as underdogs, granted, but that does not mean that we should not aim for a win.
"We approach every game with the seriousness it deserves, and we always aim for a win. Now the most pressure is on the host because they are home and want to make their fans happy - but we also need to step up,” concluded van Dyk.
For the first time in a while, South Africa has a total number of eight players in the current squad playing their netball overseas. The coaching duo of van Dyk and Mdodana believe that this bodes well for the team. These players bring in a wealth of knowledge and experience into the team. Information and knowledge sharing makes them a formidable team and gives them a good headache in terms of selection.
FIXTURES:
Sunday, 21st Sept – 9:40am
New Zealand v South Africa
Wednesday, 24th Sept 9:40am
New Zealand v South Africa
Sunday, 28th Sept 9:40am
New Zealand v South Africa
All matches will be televised on SuperSport (channel to be confirmed)
HEAD-TO-HEAD STATS:
2017 = New Zealand 70-39 South Africa (London)
2017 = New Zealand 63-56 South Africa (Brisbane)
2018 = New Zealand 51-46 South Africa (Johannesburg)
2018 = New Zealand 61-37 South Africa (Tauranga)
2019 = New Zealand 62-60 South Africa (London)
2020 = New Zealand 48-41 South Africa (London)
2022 = New Zealand 54-43 South Africa (London)
2022 = New Zealand 51-50 South Africa (London)
2023 = New Zealand 61-41 South Africa (Cape Town)
2023 = South Africa 48-48 New Zealand (Cape Town)