The South African Males National Netball Team will be traveling to the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, where they’ll be competing in the America’s Netball Men’s Championships from 1-4 September 2022 alongside hosts, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua & Barbuda, Grenada and Jamaica.
South Africa has selected a strong 12 man team, majority of which competed last year at the Men’s International Tournament in Pretoria.
The team consists of:
Shooters: Luke Moolman, Lutendo Maiwashe, Eugene Sinxezi, Nakedi Nkosi
Mid-Court: Kwandile Sithole, Willie Mtshali, Shiko Mokaila, Muzikayise Mthombeni
Defenders: Lucky Mokoena, Sicelo Gamede, Edward Manyathela, Nkululeko Nkosi
Head Coach: Jabulani Vilani
Assistant Coach: Siphiwe Manyoni
Team Manager: Andrew Mpipi
Physio: Matome Seroto
Compliance Officer: Murvin Mabe
The match fixture is as follows (Times CAT):
Stay tuned to VC3 for more coverage information.
The team will also be accompanied by Netball South Africa umpire, Nkululeko Khumalo, who’ll be officiating at the tournament.
We spent some time with National Men’s head coach Jabulani Vilani to hear his thoughts on the upcoming tournament.
What are you looking forward to going to compete in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines?
Jabulani Vilani: Lots of excitement and fun and back to back action with the boys. They are already excited about this international tournament since it is the first time for our national team going abroad and we wish to put our team on the international rankings.
How has this team grown since your last outing at the Men’s International Tournament in 2021?
Jabulani Vilani: The team has grown rapidly and we have tried establishing patterns and structure of playing netball, however if our game plan is executed we’ll no doubt will perform well.
Your thoughts on the other teams you’ll be facing?
Jabulani Vilani: In sports there is no easy team it’s a matter of respecting opponents and sticking to our game plan and objectives. Be disciplined and focus on the ultimate goal.
Why are tournaments like these important?
Jabulani Vilani: This is a first time massive international tournament. It is important for profiling and show casing that there is no sport for a certain gender. This will create a global awareness and possibly attract more funders to the sport to grow. The are lots of males who are involved in playing, coaching and umpiring, if we can have more tournaments like this it will be a great opportunity for netball lovers to be more practically involved.
Netball as a whole is growing, especially in Africa. Your thoughts on the 2023 Netball World Cup coming to South Africa?
Jabulani Vilani: I am very much excited that we are hosting the Netball World Cup on our mother soil and I have no reasonable doubt that I am behind our SPAR Proteas. Our support means a lot for our girls. The excitement and fun and seeing many top ranked teams on our soil is the best opportunity that one will want to grasp with both hands. And we also thank the leadership of NSA with all the opportunities they have created for everyone in netball.
