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SPAR Proteas’ Brave Battle Falls Short Against England In Nations Cup Final

Media Release by Media Release
10 February 2025
in Netball, Other
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SPAR Proteas’ Brave Battle Falls Short Against England In Nations Cup Final

Sanmarie Visser and Olivia Tchine battled for the ball during the final of the Vitality Nations Cup 2025 on Sunday, 9 February 2025 played at Cooper Arena in London, United Kingdom. England beat South Africa 61 – 55 in the finals. The SPAR Proteas will return home and be welcomed at OR Tambo Airport on Tuesday, 11 February 2025.

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SUNDAY, 9 FEBRUARY 2025, LONDON, United Kingdom: Despite a gallant effort, the SPAR Proteas succumbed to a 61-55 loss in a thrilling Nations Cup final played at the Copper Box Arena in London, England. The match, attended by a sell-out crowd of 7,000 spectators, was always expected to be a nail-biting final after both teams engaged in a closely contested clash a week ago which South Africa beat the hosts 61-59.

On Sunday, however, the SPAR Proteas faced their toughest challenge in the tournament playing the hosts at home for the title.

The Proteas started the game impressively with Sanmarie Visser (GK) making life difficult for the English goal shooters in the circle. South Africa held England throughout the first quarter, leading 15-12 going into the break.

However, the England Roses quickly regrouped and demonstrated remarkable skill in the second quarter closing the gap. After two missed attempts at goal from South Africa, the host nation levelled the score and then took the lead.

SPAR Proteas’ Brave Battle Falls Short Against England In Nations Cup Final
England beat South Africa 61 – 55 in the final of the Vitality Nations Cup 2025 on Sunday, 9 February 2025 played at Cooper Arena in London, United Kingdom.. The SPAR Proteas will be welcomed at the OR Tambo Airport on Tuesday, 11 February 2025. The SPAR Proteas will return home and be welcomed at OR Tambo Airport on Tuesday, 11 February 2025.

With England leading 26-23 and four minutes remaining in the second quarter, South Africa needed to regain control. However, they struggled with several turnovers, allowing England to extend their lead to 30-28 by halftime. In the first half, the team recorded 16 turnovers. For comparison, South Africa had only 15 turnovers throughout the entire game against Malawi on Saturday.

England continued to build momentum in the third quarter, extending their lead to six points. South Africa encountered a difficult six minutes in the third quarter when centre Refiloe Nketsa was sent off court for dangerous play.

This situation gave England a significant advantage. However, instead of faltering with a player down, South Africa remained resilient and aggressively pushed forward scoring two goals, but England managed to maintain a four-point lead. As the quarter progressed, England continued to keep their score ticking upward. Despite being a player down, the SPAR Proteas fought valiantly, narrowing the gap from six points to three by the end of the quarter, which concluded 46-43 in favour of England.

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 09: A general view of the action during Vitality Netball Nations Cup Final match between England Vitality Roses and South Africa at Copper Box Arena on February 09, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images for England Netball)

During the third quarter break, Coach Jenny van Dyk urged her team to focus on ball control and the basics as the fourth quarter commenced. South Africa battled back, to level the score at 46-46. England responded by pulling ahead by six points and held on to secure the victory 61-55.

Van Dyk Praises SPAR Proteas’ Resilience

In her post-match interview, van Dyk acknowledged that Nketsa’s sending off posed a significant challenge for the team. “I’m not even quite sure what happened there but we’ll have to go back and look at what could have gone wrong. But no excuses today. I felt that we spent six minutes playing with only six players on the court in a final, you know we have to ask the questions what happened there,” she said.

She praised her team for standing their ground even when outnumbered in the third quarter. “At the end of the day, coming back into the game with only six players on board, I just thought that was the true South African character and our nation’s spirit. It’s about finishing strong, and we said it from the start that it was important for us to stay in the game and I felt that we did.”

With five of the world’s top 15 netball-ranked nations from Africa, she questioned whether their unique African style of play was considered when competing against teams from other continents. She further emphasised that if this style is not acknowledged and officiating does not align with the African approach, they are forced to adapt to succeed at international competitions.

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Van Dyk concluded: “So at the end of the day, there’s no excuses for us. We’ve had a great campaign, but we’ve been away from home for a long time and that being said, I’m very proud of my players. I felt they showed so much character. Congratulations to England. They fought well today.”

The SPAR Proteas will be returning back in South Africa on Tuesday (OR Tambo International Airport), 11 February 2025, at 09:30am.

Score Breakdown

South Africa vs England:
Q1: 15 – 12
Q2: 28 – 30
Q3: 43 – 46
Q4: 55 – 61

Player of the Match: Funmi Fadoju

Player of the Series: Liv Tchine

For More South African Sport News: Sport South Africa Home Page

For More South African Netball News: Netball

Tags: Jenny van DykNetballNetball South AfricaNews South AfricaNews24Refiloe NketsaSABCSABC SportSanmarie Visser\South Africa NetballSouth Africa NewsSouth Africa SportSouth Africa Sport Newssouth africa sportsSport NewsSport News South AfricaSport South AfricasupersportTeam South AfricaTeamSAThe South AfricanVitality Netball Nations Cup
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