Stuttering Ferns subdue S Africa
THE Silver Ferns have been handed a wake-up call, stuttering to an unconvincing 63-56 victory over South Africa in their Quad Series opener last night.
South Africa, mentored by former Australian coach Norma Plummer, would have sensed a giant-sized upset at halftime in Brisbane, trailing just 31-30.
The Proteas were outscored 32-26 in the second half as New Zealand’s superior skills and fitness eventually shone through.
It was a sloppy showing from Janine Southby’s Silver Ferns, who will need a major improvement ahead of their second game of the series against England in Auckland on Wednesday night.
Spearheaded by some red-hot shooting from Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic import Lenize Potgieter, who landed 23/25 in the first half, South Africa posed early problems.
Potgieter had a fine performance, slotting 43/49 for the game, clearly showing the benefits of a stint in New Zealand with the Magic this past season.
New Zealand were poor with their through court defence, failing to generate enough pressure on the circle edge or picking up sufficient defensive ball high up court.
Led by midcourters Bongi Msomi and Erin Burger, South Africa got the better of Silver Ferns wing defence Sam Sinclair and Shannon Francois in the first half. They were able to fire the ball close into Potgieter, who could do little wrong and frustrated the New Zealand defenders.
South Africa, who lost 70-39 when they last met the Silver GETTY IMAGES Ferns in London in February, took it to the world No 2 to begin the game.
Southby rang the changes to start the second half. Kelly Jury was injected into goal keep, Phoenix Karaka replaced Sinclair and Whitney Souness became Silver Fern No 167, debuting in the wing attack bib.
It was a composed showing from Souness, who produced some clean feeds into her shooters and was industrious, making her- self available for passes.
New Zealand showed greater control and accuracy in the third quarter, winning the term 20-12.
South Africa never buckled and remained within touching distance on the scoreboard in a performance that will encourage Plummer for their next outings against Australia and England.
New Zealand held onto a slim lead throughout the opening quarter with Maria Tutaia impressing with several long bombs.
Tutaia and Bailey Mes landed 18/19 as a duo in the first term, but the Silver Ferns only held a slim 18-16 buffer. The Silver Ferns looked poised to break away to start the second quarter, scoring four unanswered goals, but South Africa stuck with them.
In the earlier game in Brisbane, England pushed Australia all the way with the Diamonds clinging on to win 54-50.