The Spar Proteas continued their unbeaten run in the 2025 Vitality Nations Cup, racking up a hard-earned 58-55 victory over Malawi at the Copper Box Arena in London on Saturday, 8 February, 2025.
The South Africa captain believes this experience will be important in the final:
“The game today was a good one. I think we needed this type of a game where collectively we had to grind it out and stick together as a team.”
Spar Proteas Captain, Khanyisa Chawane
Including their first and second round Tests against Uganda and England last weekend, the undefeated Proteas have not lost a quarter in each of the games leading up to Sunday’s final.
Jenny van Dyk has established her starting lineup since the Jamaican series, and the past two games have highlighted a trend in her selections, but in Saturday’s final group-stage match against Malawi, the SA coach fielded a different team, showcasing the talent and depth within the South African squad.
A determined Malawi opened the game with a 4-1 lead, keeping pace and staying within striking distance throughout the first half. However, South Africa edged ahead winning the first quarter by 2 goals (15-13).
The second quarter continued the tight battle, but ended with coach Jenny van Dyk’s troops increasing their lead to three goals, to hold a slim 31-28 advantage at the halfway mark.
South Africa managed to again extend their lead slightly in the third quarter, with Nichole Breedt taking court at Goal Attack to replace Elmeré van der Berg, coach Van Dyk also bringing Jamie van Wyk (WD), Sanmarie Visser (GD) and Ané Retief (GK) onto court.
The Spar Proteas took a 46-40 advantage into the final period. Despite a valiant final quarter effort from Malawi, and court time for Syntiche Kabuya (GK) replacing Retief, South Africa held on to secure a proud 58-55 victory.
The Vitality Player of the Match was awarded to Goal Attack Nichole Breedt, whose performance was instrumental in the win. Breedt effectively opened up the Proteas’ attack and combined well with Goal Shooter Rolene Streutker.
Reflecting on the win and the accolade, Breedt emphasised the collective effort that propelled the Spar Proteas to the final.
“I’m so excited to have won this award. It was definitely a team effort! I think all seven of us that were on the court at any given time really just gave our all with attack and defence.”
2025 Vitality Nations Cup Player of the Match, Spar Proteas Goal Attack Nichole Breedt
“It was just nice being on the court and have the support of every single person on the team, whether it be the six besides me on court, or those on the bench and management.”
This win sets up a highly-anticipated final against the host nation, England. The two teams have already met once in the tournament, with South Africa emerging victorious 61-59 in a close encounter at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, last Sunday.
With a steady eye on Sunday’s final, Chawane expressed her appreciation for the challenging nature of Saturday’s game, which required a determined team effort:
“We worked really hard to get that win. The job is done for us to get into the final. It’s now crunch time,” she emphasised. “We really need to grind it out in the final. I’m proud of how we’ve worked in the Nations Cup.”
The final on Sunday at 18:00 (SA time) promises to be another exciting match as South Africa looks to maintain their unbeaten streak and claim the Vitality Nations Cup title.
Match Breakdown: South Africa vs Malawi
Q1: 13 – 15
Q2: 28 – 31
Q3: 40 – 46
Q4: 55 – 58
Player of the Match: Nicole Breedt
Vitality Netball Nations Cup 2025 Fixtures and Results (All times CAT)
Saturday, 1 February at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham
South Africa 70 – 45 Uganda
England 62 – 6 Malawi
Sunday, 2 February at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham
Malawi 59 – 45 Uganda
England 59 – 61 South Africa
Saturday, 8 February at the Copper Box Arena in London
Malawi 55 – 58 South Africa
England 59 – 48 Uganda
Sunday, 9 February at the Copper Box Arena in London
15h30: Third Place Play-Off – Malawi vs Uganda
18h00: Grand Final – England vs South Africa
Spar Proteas Squad for the Vitality Netball Nations Cup 2025 from 1 to 9 February, 2025
Defenders
Boitumelo Mahloko
Sanmarie Visser*
Ané Retief
Syntiche Kabuya
Jamie van Wyk
Mid-Court
Kamogelo Maseko
Tarle Mathe
Khanyisa Chawane (C)
Refiloe Nketsa
Jeanté Strydom
Shooters
Nicholé Breedt
Rolene Streutker
Elmeré van der Berg
Ine-Marí Venter
Owethu Ngubane
Original Copy: Netball SA, with editing by gsport
Main Photo Caption: The Spar Proteas continued their unbeaten run in the 2025 Vitality Nations Cup, racking up a hard-earned 58-55 victory over Malawi at the Copper Box Arena in London on Saturday, 8 February, 2025. Photo: Ben Lumley
Photo 2 Caption: Spar Proteas Goal Shooter and Player of the Match Elmeré van der Berg in action against Malawi at the Cooper Box Arena on Saturday. Photo: Ben Lumley
Photo 3 Caption: SA skipper Khanyisa Chawane: “We worked really hard to get that win. The job is done for us to get into the final. It’s now crunch time.” Photo: Ben Lumley
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