Cape Town - As the Netball World Cup edges closer, the Proteas are looking to polish their game for that competitive edge.
They had a less than ideal start to the year as they failed to win a game at the Quad Series.
A positive from that tournament was that they were able to face top-ranked opposition like New Zealand, Australia and England.
Captain Bongi Msomi said the tournament was a great way to give all the players a run in preparation for the World Cup, where wins will be paramount.
“The Quad Series gave us a sense of where we are and where we are heading, and everyone getting court time. You get a confident team where you get to step out on court and you can’t do that when it’s crunch when you just want to give everyone a chance, there it’s results based and that is where you have to put out your best team,” Msomi said.
ALSO READ: Proteas’ winless streak continues in Quad Series with 65-48 defeat to Australia
With less than 200 days to the Netball World Cup in Cape Town, there is no doubt that the team have their work cut out. South Africa will be banking on home support, and Msomi is calling on locals to come out in their numbers.
Sometimes we fail, sometimes we succeed. What makes you stand out is when you #StandTall above it all. You rise when it matters 💪@TelkomZA is proud to be official sponsors of the 2023 @NetballWorldCup 💃🎉 #TelkomNetball | #NWC2023 | #SPARProteas | #NetballFamily https://t.co/t9S3inpcTn
— Netball South Africa (@Netball_SA) February 8, 2023
“Get out there and support us, if you like it or not, whether you believe in it on not, we are still your Proteas, so what you can do is really go out and support us. We’ve been so blessed with the amount of support and when things are going well, you look around and see people still pumped, they still see a whole lot of really great things and that’s what you want,” she said.
SA are ranked fifth in the world and at the World Cup will be up against fourth-ranked Jamaica, Sri Lanka and Wales in Pool C.
The tournament begins on 28 July, with the teams competing in a round-robin format in the pool stage.
IOL Sport