Netball: South Africa put turmoil behind them

By Suzanne McFadden

The South African netball team arrived in New Zealand yesterday rattled by turmoil on the tarmac rather than the troubles they left at home.

Their trip to Wellington was fraught with frustration - delayed planes, lost luggage and wrong reservations.

But the frazzled tourists say they have not been upset by the upheavals going on within Netball South Africa, where the entire executive committee have been thrown out by the Government for being "too old and too white."

New South African captain Irene van Dyk said the team were oblivious to what had happened to the hierarchy of their sport in the last fortnight.

"We don't know what's going on in the report. Luckily there was no chance to look at it," she said.

"It means we can carry on with playing netball and not worry about it. We're better off that way.

"At the playing level, things are very, very good. It's very settled and everyone is looking forward to the South African nationals."

The South African Government instigated an investigation into the national body and found there had not been enough change in the sport since apartheid ended.

There are two black players in the touring side, shooters Manze Machoga and new cap Rusky Mthethwa.

Mthethwa is one of four new players in a young but very tall team for the three-test series against the Silver Ferns.

Shooter van Dyk, easily the most recognisable of the Proteas, is no longer the tallest South African netballer - new goal keep Leana du Plooy is one centimetre taller at1.91cm. Eight of the 12 Proteas are over 1.8m.

"The height we have in the team now will make a huge difference," van Dyk said. "I really think this is a good team. We will definitely give the Kiwis a run for their money."

The South Africans lost a three-test series in Jamaica earlier this year, but they were a very different team, with only three players from last year's Commonwealth Games.

"We've had trials since then and we now have a very different team. It should keep the Silver Ferns' guessing," van Dyk said.

Among the players van Dyk warns the New Zealanders to look out for is her new shooting partner, goal-attack Elsje Jordaan.

But van Dyk is still the biggest threat to any opposition - her height and dead-eye shooting accuracy were virtually responsible for South Africa's shock win over the Ferns at the last world championships.

But she said she had lost form after the birth of her daughter, now 13 months old.

"Last year I struggled a bit. But I've lost some weight and I really think I'm on top of my game again," she said.

The South Africans will play against a Wellington side tonight before travelling to Palmerston North for a match against the Western Flyers on Saturday.

The first test against the Silver Ferns is in Wellington next Wednesday; the second test is in Christchurch and the third in Auckland on June 22.