Check out Jenny Sinclair’s profile of South African coach, Jenny van Dyk here.
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SCHEDULE
Test 1: Sun, Sep 21, 7:40pm NZST (Auckland)
Test 2: Wed, Sep 24, 7:40pm NZST (Napier)
Test 3: Sun, Sep 28, 7:40pm NZDT (Invercargill)
HOW TO WATCH
Sky Sport in New Zealand
SuperSport in South Africa
NetballPass throughout the rest of the world.
UMPIRES
Bronwen Adams
Caswell Palmer
Tracy-Ann Griffiths
OVERVIEW
This has certainly been a tumultuous period in New Zealand netball, with the standing down of coach Noeline Taurua by Netball New Zealand. At this stage, it’s still unclear exactly what will happen regarding the head coach position moving forward. But for now, it’s time for the Silver Ferns to put all of the controversy of the past fortnight behind them and come together as a group under interim coach, Yvette McCausland-Durie.
Although this will be her first time as Silver Ferns head coach, McCausland-Durie has a wealth of coaching experience at the elite level, including a previous stint as assistant coach of the national team. She will be supported by Liana Leota in this series. All eyes will be on the Ferns to see how they gel during this series. As well as their regular coach, they are also without their long-term captain in Ameliaranne Ekenasio who has been so very important for them in recent years.
With Jenny van Dyk at the helm, South Africa has been busy internationally in the past 12 months. Just this year, as part of a clear strategy to gain more top level test experience, the 5th-ranked Proteas have played the teams ranked 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 7th in the world. On this tour, they are set to tackle the top two. This three test series will be tough, but the squad is a strong one, and if there are any weaknesses at all in the New Zealand team, the Proteas have a team that can exploit them.
How will the Silver Ferns fare without their long-term captain and coach for this series? Image: Aliesha Vicars
HEAD TO HEAD
These two countries have met 38 times at test level previously, and the record is overwhelmingly in New Zealand’s favour (NZ 36, SA 1, Drawn 1). However, it must be noted that in recent years, the Proteas have generally been very competitive against the Silver Ferns. In the past six clashes, there has been a draw, a one-goal loss, and a two-goal defeat.
South Africa’s two best results against New Zealand have both come in memorable World Cup matches. In 1995, South Africa inflicted a shock 59-57 defeat on the Kiwis in Birmingham, thanks largely to Irene van Dyk, who would of course later change allegiances and become a Silver Ferns legend. In 2023, the Proteas scored five of the last six goals as they stormed home to claim a thrilling 48-48 draw in front of their home fans in Cape Town. That is the last match played between these teams.
Of the 38 matches between the two countries, only five have been played in South Africa. They’ve met 17 times previously in New Zealand, and the Proteas have not won any of those matches. The closest they’ve come was a 13-goal loss in 1996 when van Dyk was still a part of the team. The last time South Africa played in New Zealand, it was a 24-goal win to the Ferns in 2018, in Noeline Taurua’s second game in charge.
TEAMS
New Silver Ferns coach Yvette McCausland-Durie offering her expertise as a specialist coach with Fiji. Image: Danny Dalton
New Zealand has named a 14-player squad for this series, with a different matchday 12 to be named for each test. With Ameliaranne Ekenasio unavailable for this international season, a replacement captain was expected to be named. But instead, Yvette McCausland-Durie will choose a captain and vice-captain for each match from a leadership group of Karin Burger, Kelly Jackson, Kate Heffernan, and Grace Nweke.
Maia Wilson, Te Paea Selby-Rickit, Tiana Metuarau and Jane Watson were other players to make themselves unavailable for selection this year, and Phoenix Karaka is absent due to the birth of her second child. Meanwhile, Amelia Walmsley, who would otherwise have been chosen, is part of the New Zealand squad for the Netball World Youth Cup in Gibraltar.
The Silver Ferns haven’t played a test this year, so their most recent result was their fantastic 3-1 Constellation Cup series win last year. There are a handful of changes from that team, but no doubt the biggest loss is Ekenasio. Apart from her leadership, she leaves a big hole in the goal attack position where her steadiness under pressure has been a vital factor for New Zealand previously.
Goal shooter Nweke was granted an exemption to play for the Silver Ferns this year after initially being ineligible. It’s a huge boost to the Ferns to have a dominant shooter of her ability and if she plays well, that will go a long way towards sealing a kiwi victory. After strong seasons in the ANZ Premiership, Georgia Heffernan and Filda Vui have been entrusted with the job of teaming up with Nweke in the circle. Martina Salmon is seen as more of a goal shooter, but perhaps she could also be given a run out at goal attack.
Maddy Gordon and Kate Heffernan are currently two of the world’s premier midcourters and they will be pivotal to the team’s hopes of success. Mila Reuelu-Buchanan, Kimiora Poi, and Peta Toeava round out an attacking midcourt that will prove hard for the Proteas to counter. After a period of time on the outer, Toeava is back in the black dress and her incredible combination with former Mystics teammate Nweke could prove to be a big point of difference.
There is great strength in the defensive end, led by Kelly Jackson and Karin Burger. Jackson’s height and reach, and Burger’s tremendous anticipation, makes it a formidable duo who are sure to pile the pressure on the Proteas shooters. But it doesn’t stop there by any means. Parris Mason is back after impressing in her opportunities last season, and two players come to this series in red-hot form from the ANZ Premiership; Catherine Hall and Carys Stythe. Hall in particular, had a standout season this year.
Even with some players missing, this is a very strong Silver Ferns team. The controversy of recent weeks has no doubt been on players’ minds, but McCausland-Durie can bring them together, and there’s no reason they can’t produce a strong showing in this series. South Africa will be no easy-beats, but New Zealand will be favoured to win at home.
A change of policy means Grace Nweke is eligible for NZ this year despite playing in Australia. May Bailey | Clusterpix Photography
Jenny van Dyk is giving the South African players lots of exposure to tough international competition. Image courtesy of Netball South Africa.
South Africa has chosen a 15-player squad to tour New Zealand and Australia, coached by Jenny van Dyk and captained by Khanyisa Chawane. It is a team full of test experience, but also with some new blood. One big name missing is legendary Proteas defender Karla Pretorius who is not available for this tour. But another experienced defender is back. The return of the Shadine van der Merwe could be a big confidence boost to the team.
South Africa has played seven tests this year. In January, they played a three-test series in Jamaica and the scores were all very similar. Jamaica won the three tests 55-47, 59-47, and 58-47. Then, it was on to the Netball Nations Cup in England, and the Proteas put up a tremendous performance. They were undefeated in the rounds, including an exciting 61-59 victory over hosts England, before the Roses reversed the result in the final, winning a tough encounter 61-55.
The Proteas’ performances in those matches, showed that they had the ability to match it with higher ranked nations. In the Jamaican series, defender Nicola Smith was playing very well in the first test when she unfortunately fell and injured her wrist, putting her out for the remainder of the tour. Her absence was certainly felt, but it gave the chance for the other defenders, to step up. And that’s exactly what happened with Sanmarie Visser and Jamie van Wyk.
Visser in particular, impressed everyone, going on to earn a call up to the Thunderbirds. Smith is back now and she is likely to be given the tough task of trying to contain Grace Nweke. Both van Wyk and van der Merwe can cover goal defence or wing defence. That is a strong foursome, but three defensive newcomers (Entle Futshane, Nozipho Ntshangase, and Juanita van Tonder) have also been chosen, meaning there is certainly depth in the back three positions.
Chawane and Refiloe Nketsa are forming a good combination in the midcourt. The versatile Chawane can play all three positions. She began as as a wing defence and is now often seen at wing attack, with the ever-reliable Nketsa in the centre position. The other specialist midcourter, Tarle Mathe is also best known at centre, so coach van Dyk is considering swinging one of her dynamic goal attacks, Kamogelo Maseko, Owethu Ngubane, or Nichole Breedt, into wing attack during the series.
With speed and flair, Maseko has developed into one of the most exciting goal attacks in world netball. She is definitely a player for people to watch in this series. Her combination with both Elmere van der Berg and Rolene Streutker is growing with experience. van der Berg and Streutker are both nerveless and confident shooters, capable of converting a high percentage of the opportunities they’re given. It will be interesting to see which one is preferred at goal shooter after both had tremendous years in the NSL.
South Africa is building internationally under Jenny van Dyk, and players are gaining more exposure every year on the world stage. More than half of this squad now play in the Netball Super League or Suncorp Super Netball, so that can only be a good thing for their future. But this tour will be tough. They don’t have a great record in New Zealand (or Australia), so this is the challenge for them – to take that next step against the top two ranked teams in the world.
Shadine van der Merwe is back to bolster the Proteas in defence. Image: Danny Dalton
