South Africa’s SPAR Proteas put up a great fight against Silver Ferns in the third and final international netball test match of the Taini Jamison Trophy series played in Invercargill, New Zealand on Sunday.
It was however New Zealand who snatched the final test in the final seconds of the match 57 -56.
SPAR Proteas Head Coach Jenny van Dyk made a few changes to her starting seven going into the final test. Owethu Ngubane got to start and paired with Elmere van der Berg upfront while Jamie van Wyk was joined by Nicola Smith at defence.
South African captain Khanyisa Chawane joined an elite list of “centurion players” who have donned the green and gold for the SPAR Proteas as she took to court for the 100th time.
The SPAR Proteas came into the match like a team eager to secure a win and salvage some series pride on Sunday aiming to avoid a series whitewash.
Nicola Smith kept Grace Nweke at bay during the opening quarter while Ngubane and van der Berg were hard at work on the opposite end of the court. It was South Africa who finished the quarter 12 – 8 ahead. This is the second time in the series that SPAR Proteas led Silver Ferns in the first quarter.
It was SPAR Proteas who came out of the starting blocks quicker at the beginning of the second quarter with Ngubane netting from the first centre pass. The team seemed to continue exactly where they left off at the end of the first quarter. For the first time in forty meetings between the two nations, SPAR Proteas led the Silver Ferns in two quarters. SPAR Proteas went into half time leading the match 29 -23.
Silver Ferns came out of the half time change room break a different team; they were very quick off the mark and ensured that they reduced SPAR Proteas lead with speed. Coach van Dyk introduced Kamogelo Maseko and Refilwe Nketsa in place if both Chawane and van der Merwe, respectively. South Africa achieved yet another milestone in this match winning the third quarter for the first time since 1965, at the end of the third quarter, SPAR Proteas were 43 -41.
Nichole Breedt made her second appearance as Goal Attack in the series when she took to court in the last quarter. SPAR Proteas were dealt a huge blow when Nicola Smith was sent off three minutes into the quarter, this gave Silver Ferns an advantage as they were able to equal the SPAR Proteas and take the lead.
The SPAR Proteas refreshed their team with the reintroduction of Ngubane and van der Merwe. South Africa pushed the Silver Ferns all the way to the very last second and used their one additional player to their advantage – however, it was the Silver Ferns who scored the winning goal with two seconds left on the clock to clinch the match 57 -56.
SPAR Proteas Assistant Coach, Zanele Mdodana said that she was proud of her troops on Sunday despite the “bittersweet loss”. “The girls new that they had lost the trophy, but they had to go onto court to play for South Africa and each other and they did just that. The team showed resilience, hunger and relentlessness and refused to throw in the towel and wanted to walk off the court having earned the respect of the Silver Ferns and they did a stella job doing that. It’s been an unbelievable process of growth, the buying in of the girls and wanting to change the narrative. It was a holistic team effort, and this sets us up perfectly for our upcoming series against Australia.”
Speaking after the series, centurion, and captain Khanyisa Chawane said “I am immensely proud of the team and what we have been able to achieve, looking at where we started at the start of the series compared to how we finished. This is testament to the growth of the team. Every player showed up and gave their best. It is sad how we lost it at the end.”
The SPAR Proteas now travel to Australia for a three-test series against the world’s top ranked Aussie Diamonds starting with the opening test in Bendigo on Saturday 4 October 2025.
Quarter Score Breakdown:
Q1 – SPAR Proteas 12 – 08 Sliver Ferns
Q2 – SPAR Proteas 29 – 23 Sliver Ferns
Q3 – SPAR Proteas 43 – 41 Sliver Ferns
Q4 – SPAR Proteas 56 – 57 Sliver Ferns
SPAR Proteas Starting XII
GS – Elmere van der Berg; GA – Owethu Ngubane; WA – Khanyisa Chawane ( C ); C- Tarle Mathe; WD – Shadine van der Merwe; GD – Jamie van Wyk; GK – Nicola Smith
