Back-to-back whitewashes reveal gaps in Proteas

The Spar Proteas return from their Australasian tour with plenty of valuable lessons in their luggage.

South Africa was not able to register a single win in their matches against both New Zealand and Australia. The Proteas were handed back-to-back whitewashes by the top two teams in the world.

The Jenny van Dyk-led side showed a lot of promise and competitiveness in their last match against the Silver Ferns. They wrapped the Taini Jamison Trophy series with an improved performance and missed out on a win or a draw in the last second of the match, losing 57-56.

Van Dyk reckons the second series against the Origin Diamonds was the tougher of the two assignments.

“The Australian tour was definitely the harder of the two. Not only because we went from playing No 2 (in the world) to No 1, but also the duration of the tour, the amount of travelling that the team had to do, and the turnaround time between the matches. That is literally as hard as it can get for us to play against the No 1 team.

A lot has been revealed within that moment. No 1, how and what areas we are lacking when we are under tremendous pressure, and secondly, our fitness and conditioning, and physical presence on the court. Thirdly, skills that we need to implement with that physicality on our bodies for 60 minutes of the game,” said Van Dyk.

Even though the Proteas didn’t manage to get a win, the former Gauteng Jaguars mentor believes there are some lessons they will take forward as they continue to build.

“There are a lot of areas that we felt were worthy moments of brilliance. Another important lesson is that we need to be able to play in the full 60 (minutes). We need to be able to manage the momentum as well as decision-making in key moments where momentum shifts. I think we are getting there.

"We want to make this happen overnight, but we are also realistic. We understand that Rome wasn’t built in a day. These players are eager to learn and improve. That is exactly what they will keep on doing,” she said.

Van Dyk said there are players who shone throughout the series and were consistent whenever they were on court.

“Players that stood out for me during this series are Elmere van der Berg, Jamie van Wyk. Unfortunately, she couldn’t play the last game because she was not medically cleared. Also, Sanmarie Visser and there were glimpses of Tarle Mathe and Sammy

(Owethu) Ngubane that were just brilliant to me with the consistency that we needed to make sure that they can give us a full game,” she explains.

The coaches announced a strong 15-player squad for the tour Down Under, which included two new call-ups in Entle Futshane and Juanita van Tonder. Eastern Cape Aloes’ van Tonder is the latest to taste the feeling of the green and gold on court, as she made her debut for South Africa in the third test against the Aussies. She came in the third quarter for Nicola Smith taking the goalkeeper bib.

Van Tonder said representing South Africa against the World Champions is a dream come true.

“Earning my first cap was such a surreal moment. What a blessing it was to go onto court against the best in the world and to share that court with the best teammates. It was truly such a dream come true, and I can’t wait for the rest of my journey to continue with this team.

"I spoke to my roommate Sanmarie (after being informed of the debut), it was so much fun to share a room with her and growing close as friends and getting that support from a fellow defender,” said van Tonder.

Van Dyk said she was impressed by van Tonder’s debut and describes her as a hard-working player who never slacks, even when she’s not in the final 12.

“I think Juanita came all guns blazing. She had a great start. She has been training well, and she is such a phenomenal athlete to work with because she leaves everything on that court.

"She gives 100 per cent in every training session whether she knows she’s not going to play or not even on the bench. I am proud of the way she started her international campaign, and we are excited to see what she is going to do next,” she explains.

The Australasian tour has given the coaches an opportunity to understand what kind of squad they have, but also what kind of changes would need to be made for tournaments like the Africa Cup at the end of the year.

“We are definitely looking into the squad’s performances and alternative options that we have. We might see some changes, but this is not something we are giving attention to.

"One thing that is certain is that there will be 12 players travelling to the Africa Cup, so that means three players will not be coming with us,” she said.