Africa-Press – South-Africa. Proteas head coach Norma Plummer says there was a lot of learnings following their first Netball World Cup defeat against Jamaica on Sunday.
South Africa were outclassed by a ruthless and agile Jamaican outfit as they lost 67-49.
The loss saw South Africa finish second in Pool C behind the Caribbean outfit. Meaning that the hosts are now grouped in Pool G2.
The Proteas will now take on Trinidad and Tobago (Monday), defending champions New Zealand (Wednesday) and Uganda (Thursday).
Plummer acknowledged that Jamaica was too good from start to finish.
“You see what happens when you have an opposition that plays in the Australian Super League compared to when you’re not playing in that league,” Plummer told reporters on Sunday.
“The intensity and ability that they have together as a group… You’ve got a class act there. I knew from the start that it was going to be a hurdle and it was going to be harder to get over this stage.”
The Proteas came from a 61-50 win against Wales and an 87-32 win against Sri Lanka.
Plummer says there were some positives on Sunday but was disappointed in the Proteas’ inability to successfully complete their passes.
“The last two games we played against teams that were ranked lower than us, you’ve got to put that into perspective,” said Plummer.
“It was good to get all the players out on court, but you knew the intensity was going to lift up 10 fold by playing Jamaica.
“These are the things you learn and all the players got out on court. In that third quarter, we just wasted a lot of the ball, which was disappointing.
“Placement of the passes that’s what wins games, you can’t just be passing and the placement is not there. But that’s a learning factor. Some of these players will get better and better.”
Plummer believes that the fourth-ranked Jamaica will give other teams a run for their money.
“Generally, some of our players have had their lessons in how to have intensity and keep going,” said Plummer.
“You’re looking at a team that were silver medallists at the Commonwealth Games, I reckon they’re primed and give everyone a run for their money.”
The Proteas play Trinidad and Tobago on Monday at 18:00.
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