SPAR Proteas announce new-look squad for New Zealand and Australia tour

Netball South Africa recently announced the SPAR Proteas squad that will travel to New Zealand and Australia to take on the two top-ranked sides in the world, in September and October.

With the likes of Boitumelo Mahloko out injured and Syntiche Kabuya unavailable for selection, three new players have been selected to join the squad for the first time.

They are a trio of defenders who all impressed for their respective teams in this season’s Telkom Netball League (TNL) – Entle Futshane, Nozipho Ntshangase, and Juanita van Tonder.

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Veteran defender Karla Pretorius also remained unavailable for selection this season, but the team will welcome back another experienced campaigner in Shadine van der Merwe, who has been playing in England’s Netball Super League.

Midcourt dynamo Khanyisa Chawane will continue to captain the side, which also includes the always-entertaining Kamogelo Maseko, TNL Player of the Tournament Tarle Mathe, and top scorer in the Netball Super League this season, Rolene Streutker.

National coach of the SPAR Proteas, Jenny van Dyk explained that trials held in Johannesburg over the weekend were just the final step in the selection process.

“This step was needed to give players a fair opportunity to compete for a position in the team, but also because the majority of our core group players play in the UK and other national leagues, so we needed to see all the identified players in combination with the top players before making the final decision,” van Dyk said.

“If you are going to take on the best in the world, you need players with experience, grit, and a fierce, fighting spirit, and we believe within our core group that is exactly what we have.”

Van Dyk added that the team is still a work in progress as the SPAR Proteas look ahead to next year’s Commonwealth Games.

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“For this tour we are well aware of the fact that we don’t have the exact depth we’ve envisioned in one or two key positions yet, but we have very versatile players within our core group that can get the job done for this tour, and we have a plan in place to create the depth we need afterwards.”

Assistant coach Zanele Mdodana added that this tour is crucial in the build-up to both the Commonwealth Games and the next Netball World Cup.

“We are going to go full force into these Test matches with the objective of really sharpening ourselves, also gauging where we are compared to the professional teams in the world, and we know that the players are fully aware as to what our objectives are and how we’re going to go about achieving them,” said Mdodana.

“There’s Commonwealth Games next year, there’s the World Cup in 2027, and everything that we’re doing is aligning to ultimately assist us in achieving our objectives,” she added.

The SPAR Proteas will first take on New Zealand in a three-Test series on September 21, 24 and 28, in Auckland, Napier and Invercargill, before heading to Australia to face the 12-time world champions in a three-Test series on October 4, 8 and 12, in Bendigo, Wollongong, and Adelaide.

While the SPAR Proteas went down to the Aussie Diamonds in a series at the start of 2023, their last match played against New Zealand’s Silver Ferns was their memorable 48-all draw at the Netball World Cup on home soil in Cape Town, also in 2023.

“We always, and we will always, go for the win even though we know that we’re taking on the best in the world, If the standard is where it’s supposed to be, then anything is possible.”