On Sunday night, the Proteas beat the hosts, England, 61-59 in Nottingham for their biggest win in the Jenny van Dyk era.

This was just the Proteas’ 16th win in 69 Tests against the current fourth-ranked team in the world but certainly a great way to bounce back following the recent 3-0 Test series defeat to Jamaica in Kingston. Only once before has a Test between England and South Africa ended in a draw.

On Saturday, the Proteas began their Nations Cup campaign with a resounding 75-40 victory against the She-Cranes of Uganda, and following the win on Sunday they remain the only unbeaten team in the competition.

The game between the Roses and the Proteas was all square for the first three quarters, with the scores deadlocked at 14-14, then 30-30 at half-time, and 46-46 after the third 15-minute period.

The Proteas coach, Jenny van Dyk, said she is proud of what they were able to achieve but warned that the job is far from done.

“I’m very proud of the players and the performance they put up today during this match,” said Van Dyk.

Beth Cobden and Khanyisa Chawane. Photo: Ben Lumley

“That is South Africa for you, and that is what we know we can do. The most important part of all this is to repeat this performance and maintain consistency in the way we perform on the international stage.

“But definitely, three solid quarters from us staying in that match all the way. What was different this time around was that, in the second quarter, we didn’t fade away like we did in Jamaica. We knew that in the third and fourth quarters, we were going to be much better.

“We always do well in those two quarters. At this stage in the fourth quarter, we scored nine consecutive goals, and that was just brilliant. Unfortunately, we couldn’t keep that lead, but nonetheless, we fought it out to the end. Even though they tried absolutely everything, the players kept their composure, handled the big key moments well, and it got us to our first big win.

Sanmarie Visser. Photo: Ben Lumley

“So I’m just so proud of the team, proud of the unity, the trust, and the consistency that they brought to this game. Definitely a game we will remember forever, but the work’s not done. We still have to play Malawi, and we still have to play in the finals against whoever we meet there. To us, it’s about making sure we set up our players to succeed there as well.

“The work is far from done.”

South Africa’s attention now shifts to the Malawi Queens, who they will face on Saturday in London. This Test is scheduled to start at 17:00.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek cg