Mixed Start As South Africa's FAST5 Netball World Series Campaign Kicks Off

The South African FAST5 netball teams have had a mixed start to their World Series campaign in Christchurch, New Zealand. The women’s team kicked off their campaign with a thrilling victory over England. In a tightly contested match, South Africa secured a 33-25 win. Zandre Smit was the top scorer for South Africa, contributing 20 of their 33 goals.

In their second match, South Africa faced a dominant Australian side, losing 49-26. But they bounced back with a hard-fought 33-25 victory over Jamaica. Sanmarie Visser’s outstanding defensive performance earned her the Player of the Match award.

“It was a very long day in the final match. Really. It was really mentally tough for us, but I think we handled it so well, and everyone just gave everything they had…we were hungry for that win and yes,” Visser said after the match.

“Receiving the Player of the Match award was just so amazing, and I’m so grateful for this opportunity to be part of such an amazing event and for receiving this reward. But it was a team effort, and everyone was working so hard. They made it so easy for me, so yes, it was really amazing, and I’m so blessed and grateful.”

The women’s team’s coach Martha Mosoahle-Samm expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance, highlighting their strong start against England and their ability to recover after a tough loss to Australia.

“There were three matches today; won two and lost one. It was a good day for us, especially with the opening game against England, that  gave us a lot of confidence, she said.

A Learning Curve

“We slipped up a bit against Australia; it was a tough one. I think they came harder on us, and their ball speed was just too much, and they were just very tight on defence. But it was also a learning curve for the girls. But we are also grateful that we ended it very well against Jamaica. We’re looking forward to the following day where we’ll be taking on Uganda and  New Zealand.”

South Africa will face Uganda in their next match on Sunday, November 10th at 2:25AM.

On the other hand, the South African men’s team faced a tough challenge in their opening match, going down 42-27 to Australia

The men’s team’s coach, Neville Chapepa, attributed the team’s loss to a lack of discipline and failure to follow instructions.

“We failed to follow rules on the court and didn’t adhere to the game plan,” Chapepa said. “We had a lot of errors and lost the game due to our own mistakes.”

“We need to work on our passing, conversion, and listening to instructions. We stressed the importance of taking twos and ones to build momentum, but players rushed and forced threes, leading to a poor third quarter.”

The South African men’s team will now turn their attention to their next match against New Zealand, scheduled for Sunday, 10 November at 03:10 AM (CAT).

RESULTS:

England vs South Africa: 25-33 (W)
Q1: 7-8
Q2: 5-3
Q3: 10-8
Q4: 3-14
Australia vs South Africa: 42-27 (M)
Q1: 10-5
Q2: 8-9
Q3: 10-2
Q4: 14-11

Australia vs South Africa: 49-26 (W)
Q1: 14-3
Q2: 12-10
Q3: 14-11
Q4: 9-2

South Africa vs Jamaica: 33-25 (W)
Q1: 3-3
Q2: 8-12
Q3: 12-5
Q4: 10-5

10 November 2024

Repeat Times On SuperSport (SA Time)
9 November 2024

10 November 2024

Learn more about the FAST5 Netball World Series

*Schedule subject to change at short notice.

Some Quick FAST5 Rules
NEW RULE Possession: Once the ball has progressed out of one-third of the court (towards the attacking team’s scoring end], it cannot be passed backwards into that third again.

NEW RULE Power Play: The last 2 minutes of playing time in each quarter is designated as the Power Play Period for both teams. During the ‘Power Play Period, only 2 and 3 goal point shots are doubled in value. 1 goal point shots remain 1 point during this time.

Substitutions: FAST5 includes rolling substitutions, which means a change can be made at any stage of the game, during breaks or during play.

Centre Passes: All centre passes will be taken by the team that did not score the last goal. The coin toss at the start of the game determine which team takes the first centre pass in each quarter. The coin toss winner: Chooses the centre pass in either the 1^st and 3^rd quarters or 2^nd and 4^th quarters. The coin toss loser: Takes the first centre pass in the quarters not chosen by the winning team.

Goal Scoring: There are three different scoring zones in FAST5. Inner circle (3,5m) for 1 point. Outer circle (3,5m-4,9m) for 2 points. Goal third for the Super Shot 3 points.

Timing: Four six-minute quarters with a four-minute interval at halftime and one-minute intervals after the first and third quarters.

The Team: In FAST5 there’s only five playing positions with two shooters (GS and GA), two defenders (GK and GD) and one midcourter (C).

Photo Credit: Michael Bradley Photography