JOHANNESBURG – The Proteas netball team have gone from executioner to undertaker after they beat the Fiji Pearls by a record 47 goals on Friday.
Riding a wave of confidence, the South African women brushed the Islanders aside with an 83-36 victory to improve on the record winning margin they set against the Fijians only two days earlier.
In the first match of the series, they romped to a 41-point victory over the Pacific Islanders, drawing the curtain on a fruitful tour of Australasia and Fiji.
After the Wednesday’s brutal beating at the hands of the Proteas, Fiji put up a valiant fight in the opening half of the second match.
Fiji looked in far better shape, trailing the South Africans by a mere five points after the first 15 minutes of the encounter.
This lulled Fiji into a false sense of security as the Proteas more than doubled their score in the second quarter, with the hosts only adding nine goals.
The South Africans went into the halftime break holding a commanding 39-22 lead over the opposition, with Fiji looking set for another drubbing.
Wing defence Rochelle Loubser was a menace to Fiji, making a total of nine intercepts in the match.
It's another RECORD WIN! 47 goals against the #FijiPearls THANKS for the contest @FijiNetball #FJvSA #WeAreAllIn pic.twitter.com/I2YT3ckT88
— Netball South Africa (@Netball_SA) September 8, 2017
Star shooter Lenize Potgieter once again proved to be a powerhouse in South Africa’s performance. The pinpoint shooting Protea landed 56 of her 61 shots at goal, giving the visitors the extra edge in the circle.
The third quarter saw the teams add the same amount of points as they had in the second before the Proteas went into overdrive in the final period. The Proteas scored an impressive 23 points in the final quarter, while limiting the Fijians to five.
The high-flying South Africans will return home on Sunday with three consecutive victories, including their first over the England Roses in four years.
Last Sunday, the Proteas won their first Quad Series match with a 54-51 victory over the Roses in Invercargill, New Zealand.
They also came painstakingly close to beating the two top sides in the world, coming within six points of beating world champions Australia, while losing to New Zealand by a mere seven goals.
@ockertde