Netballers end on a high after punishing schedule

They say that character is defined by how you bounce back after defeat and Team SA’s netballers showed bucketloads of that in beating Jamaica 62-54 to take fifth place at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

Jenny van Dyk’s team had arrived in Glasgow with high hopes of winning their first-ever medal at the Games and their best previous finish was fourth at the 1998 event in Kuala Lumpur.

It was not to be, as they were drawn in the “Pool of Death” with Australia who beat them 57-47 – a second quarter 18-8 to the Aussies was the only difference – and then falling to an England comeback (58-54) in a pulsating match on Thursday night.

They’d only got back to their rooms at midnight and were back on court on Friday, some 16 hours later. The fatigue showed early as they traiend 17-12 after the first quarter but were roused to give their last drop of energy. They drew level inside The Hydro halfway through the second period at 21-21, and then stuck their noses in front.

With Elmere van der Berg deadly under the net – she completed 38 goals from 38 attempts before missing one – the clinical finishing was always going to put Uganda under increasing pressure. Jamie van Wyk at wing defence was also having a stormer, while goalkeeper Nicola Smith was making vital interceptions to turn defence into attack.

Van der Berg eventually finished with 48 goals out of 49 attempts, while Kamogelo Maseko contributed 14 goals.

Team SA’s players have to be applauded for the way they rebounded from the England defeat, both physically and mentally. The play-off against Uganda was their sixth game in seven days and largely it was a positive return.

They beat Malawi 65-44 and then posted their Commonwealth Games highest total, 96-42 against Tonga, beat Northern Ireland 78-30, lost to Australia 57-47 and to England 58-54 and then beat Uganda 62-54.