Team South Africa put the rest of Pool A on notice, thrashing Northern Ireland 78-30 at The Hydro to claim a third straight Commonwealth Games win and climb to the top of the group.
The SPAR Proteas came into Tuesday’s Netball clash off a rest day, having already dismantled Malawi and put a record-breaking 96 goals past Tonga. Northern Ireland arrived winless after defeats to England, Malawi and Tonga, and nothing in this one suggested a change in fortunes.
Northern Ireland actually drew first blood off the centre pass, but it barely registered. South Africa settled fast, found their rhythm, and closed the first quarter 14-8. Coach Jenny van Dyk turned to her bench early, bringing on Kamogelo Maseko and Jamie van Wyk in the second period, and the Proteas simply kept building. They took the second quarter 18-10 and walked into the break with a commanding 32-18 lead.
The third quarter is where Northern Ireland’s resistance broke completely. With Sanmarie Visser, Tarle Mathe and Elmere van der Berg introduced, and Karla Pretorius and captain Khanyisa Chawane back on court, South Africa turned the screw. They took the quarter 21-4, stretching the lead out to 53-22 and putting the result beyond doubt with a full quarter still to play.
Van Dyk used the final period to rotate her squad and give minutes across the roster, and the Proteas still found another 25 goals, closing it out 78-30. Elmere van der Berg top-scored with 39, Rolene Streutker added 25, and Kamogelo Maseko was clinical, converting all 11 of her shot attempts.
“Three wins from three, and now the real test arrives. Beating Northern Ireland is expected — what happens against Australia on Wednesday tells you where this Proteas team actually stands!” – 🎙️Jay
It’s South Africa’s third win from three matches, and it puts them top of Pool A heading into the fixture that actually matters. The Proteas face defending champions Australia on Wednesday, 29 July at 22:00, before closing out their preliminary schedule against England on Thursday. With only the top two in the pool advancing to the semi-finals, Tuesday’s win over Northern Ireland was the easy part — Wednesday is where South Africa’s Commonwealth Games campaign gets defined.
📸 Images via Netball SA
