Karla Pretorius touched down in South Africa just a couple of days ago from Glasgow, where she was part of the Proteas team that finished fifth in the Commonwealth Games. But on Thursday she switched roles from player back to coach, guiding her Mangaung team to victory on the opening day of the SPAR National Netball Championships at Stellenberg High School in Cape Town.
Mangaung produced a solid performance to emerge as 54-47 winners over eThekwini in their tournament opener, with Pretorius not entirely pleased with her side’s performance, but happy with the result.
“It was a bit of a struggle out there. It wasn’t our prettiest match, but sometimes it doesn’t have to look pretty to get over the line,” she said. “There were a few things we wanted to try out and just see where everything is at… So, having that information, seeing what I need to see, and then we’re going to take it from there.”
Speaking about the switch from player to coach, the 36-year-old defender reckoned: “You learn so much when you’re on court. And once again, just being in that national structure. The coaches are very good in the way they give information. So, you learn from those things and it’s still fresh in my mind.”
Having finished third in last year’s SPAR National Netball Championships in her first year as coach, Pretorius believes any of the top five teams could lift the trophy this year.
“That’s what you want in a competition like this. You don’t want one or two teams just dominating. And I think we’re in a position this year where any of the top five can be medal contenders and win the championship. It’s about who rocks up on the day and gives the best performance out there.”
In other action on Thursday, the Tshwane side secured a 55-47 win over the Dr Kenneth Kaunda team from the North West.
“The first games done. It’s always a bit jittery and just breaking the ice, but I’m happy with the results. The positives that I’m taking out of this game are just that they can come back from losing a few balls and they bounce back quickly, and that I could play different combinations,” said coach Rozanne Matthyse afterwards.
Tshwane were three-time champions at this tournament between 2018 and 2020 but have struggled somewhat in recent years. Matthyse reckoned this year could be different.
“We came here to win. That is the end goal. But there’s a process in getting there, so we’re taking it game for game to make sure that we’re in the semis and then in the final,” she said.
Four-time defending champions Johannesburg and 2025 runners-up Cape Town were able to experiment with combinations and test themselves in their opening matches against visiting Namibia and Botswana without worrying about the result. The neighbouring teams are competing in Section A but matches against them do not count for points. That was just as well for Johannesburg, who were held to a 44-44 draw by Namibia, while Cape Town’s impressive 94 per cent shooting accuracy powered them to a comfortable 58-47 victory over Botswana.
In the other senior A section match of the day – an all-Eastern Cape clash – Nelson Mandela Bay were largely untroubled on their way to a 56-38 victory over the Alfred Nzo team.
Meanwhile, defending under-21 champions Johannesburg got their title defence off to an excellent start with a commanding 62-22 win over Royal Bafokeng.
SPAR National Netball Championships action continues at Stellenberg High School on Friday and runs until next Tuesday, 11 August.
Results
Senior A section
Johannesburg 44 – 44 Namibia
Nelson Mandela Bay 56 – 38 Alfred Nzo
Dr Kenneth Kaunda 47 – 55 Tshwane
Mangaung 54 – 47 eThekwini
Cape Town 58 – 47 Botswana
Under-21 A section
Johannesburg 62 – 22 Royal Bafokeng
Dr Kenneth Kaunda 34 – 46 Mangaung
Tshwane 53 – 45 Ekurhuleni
Cape Town 41 – 42 Royal Bafokeng
📸 Gallo Images/ Grant Pitcher & Ashley Vlotman
