Msomi tries to allay fears of Proteas flopping at World Cup
Netball side's Commonwealth Games showing raises doubts
SA netball national team captain Bongi Msomi has called for calm amid concerns about the team's standard after a sub-par performance at the recently concluded Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.
The Proteas finished in sixth place at the Games after they lost 54-48 to Uganda in the fifth-place match. The group stage performance of the Proteas was uninspiring as they finished in third place behind Jamaica and Australia.
With 344 days to go until the start of the Netball World Cup that will be hosted on home soil, the doubters have sounded their concerns about the state of the Proteas, questioning if the team has the will and squad to put on a competitive display in the tournament.
Speaking to the media in Sun City, North West, yesterday during a Netball World Cup event, Msomi addressed the concerns over the state of her side.
She used the Springboks' run to win the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan as an example. The Boks went through ups and downs on their way to lifting the Webb Ellis Cup.
“I don't think it's fair to say that [we don't have a team]. We have been playing good netball at times and it's one big event where we didn't perform, it's not the end of the world,” said Msomi.
“We all know the Springboks in the 2019 Rugby World Cup lost their first game against New Zealand. We all thought, do they even stand a chance? [yet] they went on to win the World Cup. We are not them. I'm not saying anything close to that is going to happen, what I'm saying is you can give the team a chance, when setbacks happen, we absorb them. Everyone has to back us instead of dwelling on the negatives,” she said.
The Proteas will be in action in the African Netball World Cup 2023 qualifiers in Pretoria from August 21 to 27.