Defence Key in Second Diamonds Test

As the SPAR Proteas jet off to Wellington for the New Zealand leg of the Quad Series, Coach Elize Kotze is feeling confident of her players’ on court combinations.

“The progress that the team has made is great. Players are growing not only as individuals, but also as a team” said Kotze. “They really stepped up against England in ball control and ball possession. However, there are some basic things that we need to work on. We need to cut down on unforced errors, bad judgements and ball placement.”

When questioned about individual players that are shining on court, a number of names were mentioned. “Chrisna Bootha had a fantastic match against England, and Bongi Msomi is such a stronghold in the midfield. Her workload is unbelievable.”

Kotze said that she had settled the attack combination in Msomi, Maryka Holtzhausen and Nadia Uys. “Our new cap [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][Nadia Uys] has really been thrown in the deep end, but she is doing brilliantly. Bootha can only perform if she has the right people around her.”

“We are also blessed with four very prominent and gifted defenders,” said Kotze, “But it’s all about combinations. Defence success is measured by the unit’s work rate and the support that the players have in each other.

“I’m really proud of what all the players take from every game, every time they get on court I see their maturity grow,” said Kotze.

Kotze and assistant coach Lana Krige have analysed footage of the SPAR Proteas last match against the Australian Diamonds in preparation for their next match on Thursday in Wellington.

“The Australians are moving the ball too quickly and sharply, not even New Zealand could keep up in their defence,” Kotze pointed out.

“We’re going to focus on more man-to-man defence, to restrict their movement and pace. We need to be able to keep the ball in hand, and move it to our goal circle with care, there won’t be space for any high risk balls.”

The SPAR Proteas take on the Australian Diamonds on Thursday 25 October at the TSB Bank Arena in Wellington, New Zealand. The match will be broadcast live on Supersport2/HD4 at 06h55 South African time.

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