Home Sport Proteas hold on to world netball ranking ahead of Quad Series

Proteas hold on to world netball ranking ahead of Quad Series

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South Africa – Cape Town – 28 November 2019 – Head Coach of Proteas, Dorette Badenhorst and Captain of Proteas, Bongi Msomi. South Africa vs England 3 game Netball challenge press conference takes place at the Southern Sun Hotel in Cape Town. Picture Courtney ANA

There has been no change in the top five netball countries, with Australia ranked No.1, the World Champions, New Zealand ranked second and the Commonwealth Games Champions, England ranked third. They are followed by Jamaica and South Africa.

THE SPAR Proteas retained their fifth-place ranking in the latest World Netball rankings released in London, while Uganda moved into sixth place.

There has been no change in the top five netball countries, with Australia ranked No.1, the World Champions, New Zealand ranked second and the Commonwealth Games Champions, England ranked third. They are followed by Jamaica and South Africa.

Uganda, a growing force in world netball, have risen to No.6, replacing South Africa’s long-time nemesis, Malawi, who have dropped down to seventh place.

Uganda benefited from their strong showing at the Africa Netball Cup in Windhoek, which was won by the Proteas, who defended their title in style, winning every match. Uganda went into the tournament on a high, having won the Debmarine Pent Series, which involved hosts Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Kenya.

Uganda were unbeaten in the tournament, which is part of a series aimed at helping lower-ranked countries to improve their rankings and qualify for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in August.

Cape Town 6-4-2021 Spar Proteas. The dates for the Netball World Cup 2023 taking place in Cape Town has been announced.Minister of Sport Nathi Mthethwa confirmed yesterday that it will take place from July 17 to August 8, 2023, and will consist of 16 nations, including host nation South Africa. Photo: Jaco Marais/BackpagePix

Zambia dropped two places to 17th and Namibia moved up three places to 22nd.

The Proteas are currently in the United Kingdom for the 2022 Quad Series in London from tomorrow to January 19. The other teams taking part are England, Australia and New Zealand.

The first match of the tournament will be the battle of the flowers as hosts England’s Roses take on the Proteas tomorrow at 4pm.

Due to the current challenge of Covid-19 that the world is facing, the Proteas had to be in an isolation camp for a week in South Africa before jetting off to England on January 7 and fortunately, no positive cases have been confirmed in camp.

“It is always great to play against some of the best teams in the world, this gives you a sense of where you are as a team. I am delighted that we will get a chance to compete at this level, especially after playing Africa Netball Championships and spending time in Ireland and Northern Ireland. We just need to do a bit of adjusting now and step up,” said Proteas head coach Dorette Badenhorst.

South Africa left the country with 11 players only as the other three players will only join the team in London, they were unable to come to South Africa due to travel restrictions.

Captain and the most capped player in the team, Bongiwe Msomi has confirmed that the players are eager and ready to take to court.

“It is always an honour for any one of us to take to court and represent our country. The mood in the camp is very jovial and everyone is incredibly positive. We have a few young players in the team and we as the senior players need to make sure that we guide them and hold their hands in this series,” she said.

All the matches will be broadcast on SuperSport Variety 4 (209).

Sports Reporter

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