Proteas coach Jenny van Dyk said they were able to feed off the great energy in the camp on their challenging month-long tour, praising the leadership skills among her young squad.
The returning Proteas received a warm welcome at OR Tambo International Airport on Tuesday after the month-long tour of Jamaica and England, where they recently participated in the Nations Cup.
Despite a valiant effort, the Proteas narrowly lost 61-55 to hosts England in a thrilling Nations Cup final in London on Sunday. They won their three pool matches, overcoming African rivals Malawi and Uganda, and achieving a remarkable win against the fourth-ranked English team.
🔊 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗝𝗲𝗻𝗻𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀! 🇿🇦
SPAR Proteas head coach @JennyvDyk shares her thoughts on the team’s tour to Jamaica and England, highlighting the progress, challenges, and key takeaways from the Vitality Netball Nations Cup. 💪#SPARProteas #WeAreAllIn pic.twitter.com/xgfPkCv5Oa
Coach Jenny van Dyk said: “This was one of my best tours I’ve ever experienced. It was such an exciting trio with a team that is full of so much life and energy, so much passion.
“It could have been a long tour for us and it could have become a difficult tour and it never was. I’ve never seen a team able to learn so much in their time away.”
Asked about the energy and mood in camp, she said: “We feed off each other. It’s a bunch of young players with a lot of energy and a lot of leadership skills. We’ve set out our goals as a team and all the players in the team bought into the vision and the culture.”
The Proteas mentor also touched on how new players were seamlessly able to step up during the tour due to injuries or tactical changes.
She cited the example of goal defence Sanmarie Visser, who had a phenomenal tour playing out of position as a goalkeeper.
“You take her to the world stage and you let her play against the best shooters in the world, and the first time she walks onto that court, she plays out of position for our country is just brilliant.
“We’ve got some of the best defenders the world has ever seen and it’s so important to create that defensive confidence in our squad as well.”
Van Dyk gave much of the credit for this to assistant coach Zanele Mdodana. Goal attack Kamogelo Maseko, who was impressive throughout the tour, said the experience is one she would never trade for anything.
“This was a different camp; the energy was incredible, everyone took accountability, and we had open and honest conversations. This happened internally as a group outside of management,” said Maseko.
“We knew that we had to take us to where we want to see ourselves.
“I think, personally, we knew it was going to be challenging. We were clear that if we want to be the best in the world, we have to play against the best in the world.
“As a squad, we grew a lot at an accelerated rate. It was hours of analysis and hard work, and I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything in the world.”
Facing old rivals Uganda and Malawi in the Nations Cup in England had added a fresh twist for the Proteas. Both matches were followed by matches against England’s Roses.
“That changeover in styles can become difficult to manage, especially in an inexperienced unit,” Van Dyk revealed.
She felt, however, that the lessons learnt in adversity, like when they were down to six players in the final, would prove invaluable in future pressure situations.
Centre Refiloe Nketsa was sent off the court for six minutes for dangerous play.
“I felt that were a lot of opportunities to still win that match regardless of what happened,” Van Dyk said.
“Things like that will happen and you need to prepare for the unpredictable as well and I just felt they did it so well in the final and to me that’s the areas that I’m so proud of.”
Netball SA president Cecilia Molokwane revealed that had shed a tear on seeing how the team had held their own during the challenging moment in the Nations Cup final.