Netball Proteas beat Tonga to set up showdown with Uganda

South Africa will take on Uganda in the battle for 5th and 6th place in the Netball World Cup on Sunday. 

This comes after the Spar Proteas beat a stubborn Tonga 72-46 in their exciting play-off match at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) on Friday afternoon. 

The meeting between the Proteas and the She Cranes of Uganda is a repeat of their second preliminary clash on Thursday where the South Africans narrowly came out on top 52-50. 

Proteas captain Bongiwe Msomi and her charges were inspired by the presence of Springbok rugby captain Siya Kolisi who joined the fans on the stands who sang before and during the match. 

The clash turned out to be a good contest as an inspired Tonga wouldn't go away in the first two quarters and it was no surprise that the first quarter ended with the scores level. 

During the first and second preliminary stages of the tournament, Tonga beat Fiji and Scotland and fought gallantly in defeats to stronger sides like Australia, England and Malawi. 

In the first quarter, the stubborn Tongans went toe-to-toe with the Proteas, who were backed by the near capacity and screaming crowd here that created an intimidating atmosphere. 

When the buzzer went to end the first fifteen minutes, scores were tied at 12-12 but it must be pointed out that they could have been far ahead were it not for their poor shooting in the circle. 

South Arica came out a more purposeful side after the short break and by halftime they led the match by seven points which was testament to their improved scoring performance as they outscored Tonga by seven goals. 

Ine-Marí Venter, who struggled with her shooting, was replaced midway through the second quarter by Elmeré van der Berg who helped South Africa to accelerate. 

The Netball Proteas continued to press foot on the pedal and they went for the final break enjoying a healthy eleven-point lead and faced with the mission of managing the game during the last fifteen minutes. 

Coach Norma Plummer made some changes for the final quarter but they didn’t disrupt the team as the Proteas continued to be dominant to dash any hopes that Tonga had of a late revival. 

The Proteas have a day off on Saturday but the focus is on the semifinals between England and defending champions New Zealand and a highly dangerous Jamaica against Australia. 

South Africa 72- 46 Tonga 

1st Quarter: SA 12-12 Tonga 

2nd Quarter: SA 30-23 Tonga 

3rd Quarter: SA 470-36 Tonga 

4th Quarter: SA 72-46 Tonga