South Africa’s netballers made it a perfect start to the 2025 Vitality Nations Cup when they beat England 61-59 in a thrilling encounter in Nottingham, the win coming on the back of their opening 70-45 victory over Uganda.
There was never too much between the two teams in a high-quuality contest. After a bright start from South Africa, England battled back to level the score 14-14 after the first quarter.
A similar pattern followed the second quarter with the teams locked at 30-30 at half-time. There was still nothing to separate the two sides going into the final quarter. The teams remained level at 46-46 with the last 15 minutes left.
South Africa then pulled away in the final quarter. England chipped into their lead with a finishing flurry but the Proteas had pushed far enough ahead to prevail 61-59.
Sanmarie Visser was named Player of the Match. She said: “It means so much. We knew what we were going to be up against when we came here. We had a good gameplan. It means so much for us to come here and beat England on their home ground.
“[Next week] we can even do better. Come back and level up again.”
The tournament now moves to London where South Africa meet Malawi on Saturday.