The first half of the game was a tough contest, Wales putting pressure on the South African shooters however it was the strength and speed of South Africa’s midcourt who dominated for four straight quarters.

South Africa had speed on their side. They used space on the court well, with long direct passes making them almost impossible to intercept. The first quarter saw Wales put up a solid fight, challenging South Africa’s midcourt with overhead passes, specifically into the goal ring from wing attack Bethan Dyke.

A key player in South Africa’s forward line was Bongiwe Msomi showcasing her talent in countless number of goal assists. South African goal shooter Lenize Potgieter scored 26 out of 29 goals in the first half, and with the help of Maryka Holtzhausen in goal attack, ensured South Africa sat comfortably at half time leading by 10 goals. Potgieter was ‘disappointed with her performance’ overall and said “I was looking to sit above 85% for this match”. Currently Potgieter sits at 88.9% for the tournament.

The game turned physical in the third quarter when South African centre Erin Burger and Wales wing defence Suzy Drane collided. A friendly handshake and assisting one another back on court was the perfect cue to keep the game going.

South Africa specialised in turnovers throughout the match, many of them from wing defence Rochelle Lawson and goal defence Karla Mostert, most of them resulting in a few strong passes into the attacking third for Potgieter to line up and score.

Confident Wales goal shooter Chelsea Lewis was in her element scoring from mid-range at top of the ring and was the prominent goal scorer for Wales alongside her counterpart Sara Bell and Emma Thomas interchanging in goal attack.

Welsh captain Suzy Crane says “we take every game as a learning lesson, push on and take quarter by quarter, that’s what we’re aiming to do”.
South African midcourter Bongiwe Msobi said her team could “improve in all areas, especially feeding into the ring. We need to go back to the drawing board, look at where we went wrong and improve in those areas”.

- Netball World Cup