The Spar Proteas have continued to blossom by winning the Africa Netball Cup in Cape Town this week. They showed imperious form with a clean sweep of victories on the way to the title.

The Proteas claimed wins over Lesotho (116-10), Malawi (56-51), Zimbabwe (69-39), Uganda (50-47), Kenya (71-36) and Zambia (72-53) at the African spectacle.

The 116 goals against Lesotho was also the most ever by South Africa in a Test match.

This follows on from their best finish at a World Cup in 24 years. They played out of their skin to reach the semi-finals, before succumbing to defending champions Australia 55-53.

They were then beaten by Commonwealth champions England in the battle for bronze, losing 58-42 in their play-off match, fatigue from the battle against Australia getting the better of them.

After that impressive World Cup campaign, which was four years in the making, veteran Australian coach Norma Plummer stepped down. Dorette Badenhorst took over as head coach, and Dumisani Chauke took over as her assistant.

Speaking in the aftermath of the appointment, Chauke said she and Badenhorst had been groomed to take over once the 74-year-old Plummer vacated her position:

“We had been groomed, we had been mentored and we were getting ready. So, should the opportunity come, we’d be able to step up. And I guess Netball South Africa felt that myself and Dorette would fit these positions to be able to take the team forward.”

It made sense for the pair to take over. They had been in the fold in the build-up to that great performance in the World Cup. Above all, they have both had a hand in feeding the senior team players, having previously worked with the U-19s and U-21s.

So they knew and had worked with most of the players in the current fold. And because of working so closely with Plummer, they knew what the vision was for the future.

But they had the daunting task of improving a team that was already firing on all cylinders.

Netball South Africa’s spokesperson, Nnusi Gazi, said the duo’s understanding of the vision that the federation has for the team going forward, as well as the chemistry they have with the players, shone through in their romp through the Africa Netball Cup.

“I mean, going six out of six [wins] and, you know, having been together for less than a week before the tournament started, is a huge achievement and this is a huge milestone for them,” Gazi told Daily Maverick.

Gazi reiterated that some players were missing from Africa Netball Cup and that when they come back, there were still combinations the coaches wanted to try in order to improve the team.

“The coach [Badenhorst] has also emphasised the fact that, you know, that as much as this tournament yielded positive results, there’s still room for improvement from a team point of view, because she still needs to try other combinations with other players that are still coming in for the England series,” he told Daily Maverick.

The Proteas next tackle England in the Spar Challenge which will be a three-match series played in Cape Town from 29 November 2019.

They will be looking to avenge their loss in that play-off game at the World Cup.

Then, at the beginning of 2020, the Proteas travel to England to take part in the Vitality Netball Nations Cup. The series, which begins on 19 January, will see Jamaica, New Zealand, South Africa and England lock horns.

All this while continuing to sharpen themselves up in a bid to go all the way at the World Cup which South Africa will host in four years’ time. DM