Wrap: South Africa cruise past Sri Lanka, Fiji upset Zim

South Africa clinched a comfortable 87-32 victory over Sri Lanka while Fiji stunned Zimbabwe with a 52-48 at the Netball World Cup 2023 in Cape Town on Saturday.!–more–>

South Africa 87-32 Sri Lanka

South Africa defeated Sri Lanka by a score of 87-32 in Cape Town during the 2023 Netball World Cup. On Sunday, the highly anticipated matchup with the Sunshine Girls of Jamaica will occur.

Even before the opening whistle blew, history indicated that the outcome could only go in one direction.

South Africa is ranked fifth in the world, while Sri Lanka is 15th. South Africa’s win percentage in the World Cup is 67% after nine appearances, while Sri Lanka’s is 24% after ten.

When she came off the bench in the third quarter, star defender Karla Pretorius earned her 100th international cap for the Proteas. Ine-Marie Venter made her 50th appearance for South Africa in the final 15 minutes.

After eight quarters of play, goal shooter Lenize Potgieter has still not been utilised. Her knees are both strapped, with the right strap being heavier.

In July of last year, she underwent surgery and intensive rehabilitation. Yesterday, South African coach Norma Plummer stated that they will not take any risks.

South Africa demonstrated their intent to dominate the game from the outset. The Proteas, led by captain Bongiwe Msomi, displayed flawless coordination and passing.

Their assault was relentless, exploiting Sri Lankan defence weaknesses and converting opportunities with surgical precision. They held a 45-18 halftime advantage.

South Africa’s defenders were in top form during the third and fourth quarters, exerting intense pressure on the opposition.

Jeante Strydom’s performance in wing defence was especially noteworthy. She obtained multiple interceptions and made her presence felt.

She was appropriately recognised as the game’s most valuable player.

With nine minutes remaining, South Africa’s lead reached 50 points for the first time.

They then seemed to take their feet off the pedal somewhat with the victory secured and not wanting to risk serious injury of what is promising to be a pulsating affair tomorrow against Jamaica.

Australia 85-38 Tonga

Saturday in Cape Town, the ever-improving Tonga squad, buoyed by their opening-day victory over Fiji, came out swinging against Australia, the 11-time Netball World Cup champions.

The Tongan Tala utilised their physicality to exert a substantial amount of pressure on the Diamonds, while also matching their speed to ensure a close opening quarter.

Taking on a team competing in their second Netball World Cup and ranked six places below them, the Australians would have expected to be ahead by a larger margin than 15-13 at the first break. However, the Tongan Tala had an impressive first quarter.

As normal order was restored, Australian coach Stacey Marinkovich maintained her starting seven for the second quarter, and a 10-goal blitz at the beginning of the period resulted in the Diamonds taking a commanding lead.

Steph Wood entered the game in the third quarter, earning her 50th cap for the Australians. Paige Hadley (WA), Jo Weston (GD), Sophie Garbin (GS), and Sunday Aryang (WD) also entered the game in the third quarter.

The Tongans appeared to lose steam as the game progressed, and their initial intensity diminished.

The Tala trailed by 35 goals at the final break, and the Australians continued to dominate for an 84-38 victory.

Jamaica 75-40 Wales

Wales was defeated by Jamaica 75-40 in Cape Town during the 2023 Netball World Cup. This was Jamaica’s fourth consecutive victory.

This occurred just one day after the Sunshine Girls reached 100 runs against Sri Lanka. Their total of 105 goals scored on day one was the highest, and their 80-goal victory margin was the largest.

There are five positions between Jamaica (4) and Wales (9) in the most recent World Netball World Rankings, and it was evident as the Sunshine Girls dominated all four quarters of the match.

The opponents were no match for Jamaica’s combination of incisive offence and resolute defence.

Jamaica’s skill, teamwork, and strategic execution were on display during the victory.

Romelda Aiken-George, Rebekah Robinson, and Jhaniele Fowler, the team’s captain, exhibited remarkable accuracy by converting over ninety percent of their shots.

However, the Welsh shooters also had cause for celebration, as their 31st goal marked the 5,000th World Cup goal scored by Wales since 1963.

Zimbabwe 48-52 Fiji

Zimbabwe and Fiji were desperate for their first victories of the tournament after losing on the opening day to Australia and Tonga, respectively.

The opening quarter of the Netball World Cup featured teams facing off for the first time. It was a tightly contested quarter.

At one point, Zimbabwe took the lead thanks to a run of five unanswered goals, but the Fiji Pearls used a short pass to eventually tie the game at 11-11.

Just prior to the first interval, Zimbabwe had taken a two-goal lead.

Fiji tied the score five minutes into the second quarter and went into the halftime break with a one-goal advantage.

At one point, Fiji amassed a nine-goal advantage after a late-third-quarter scoring surge, and they never looked back.

The Pearls extended their lead to 10 goals at one point, and despite the Zimbabwe Gems’ 13-9 victory in the fourth quarter, they were unable to prevent the upset loss.

New Zealand 54-44 Uganda

New Zealand prevailed 54-44 over Uganda to record their second victory at the Netball World Cup 2023 in Cape Town, despite a scare from Uganda.

The Silver Ferns have now won all four matches against the She Cranes in the Netball World Cup.

African opponents pushed New Zealand to their limits in the first two quarters.

Centre Margret Baagala worked diligently at midcourt to move the ball into the Ugandan goal circle, providing Mary Cholhok with ample opportunities to score.

The Silver Ferns, however, were not to be outdone, as Grace Nweke stood tall in the circle at the opposite end of the court, ensuring that her shots landed.

Despite possessing only a third of the ball, New Zealand held a four-point lead at halftime.

Their superior goal-shooting, 92,3% versus Uganda’s 83,3%, gave them the advantage.

Noeline Taurua, coach of the Silver Ferns, substituted Jane Watson, Gina Crampton, and Te Paea Selby-Rickit in the third quarter to prevent the first upset of the Netball World Cup.

Watson and South African-born Karin Burger proved to be a formidable defensive duo, depriving the She Cranes of crucial possessions as they attempted to close the gap.

Even though both teams scored in the final five minutes, the world champions outmuscled the She Cranes for a decisive victory.