Van Dyk scores netball Super Club win

JENNY VAN DYK has conquered every major title on home soil and has now added one of the big international scalps to her list of accomplishments with the Gauteng Jaguars netball team.

The Jaguars claimed a 65-61 victory over Southern Steel, New Zealand’s top team, at the Super Club netball tournament in Nelson on Sunday.

The Super Club tournament is an international competition featuring eight teams from all over the world including three of New Zealand’s best teams.

“We were not off to the best of starts against the Southern Steels,” Van Dyk said.

“In part, it was my fault as I might have erred in the way the team warmed up but everything clicked after I made some changes during the first break.”

The Jaguars managed only a victory and a draw in last year’s tournament despite an otherwise faultless season.

Van Dyk said the pace in last year’s tournament caught the side off-guard but they seem to have learned from that experience.

“I was really impressed with the confident manner in which the players played,” Van Dyk said.

“They did not allow themselves to be intimidated. Their play was not one dimensional.”

The UP-Tuks coach made South African netball history last year, becoming the first to coach teams to win the Brutal Fruit Series, the Senior Provincial Tournament and the Varsity Netball Tournaments in the same year.

She guided the Jaguars to their second consecutive Brutal Fruit title, Tuks to winning the USSA Tournament and won the SPAR Netball Championships with Tshwane so far this year.

The Jaguars are in third place on the Pool-B leaderboard after they lost their second match to New Zealand side, the Silvermoon Tactix, 64-36 yesterday.

The South African team will be looking to bounce back against Singapore’s Sneakers, who suffered two defeats with losing margins of more than 30 points.

The Jaguars will return to South Africa on Saturday when four of the players will drive to Bloemfontein hours after they land to feature in the first weekend of the Varsity Netball tournament.

Van Dyk effectively had to split her squad in two to be able to feature in the Super Club tournament and the Varsity Cup.

“I am a fanatical planner. I always tell my players that any tournament is just an event you compete at,” Van Dyk said.

“I believe you win tournaments the year before during the off-season, making sure that no player ever misses a practice and where you do your strategising.

“If you managed to do so, a tournament is just the proverbial cherry on top where you collect the trophy.”