South Africa SPAR Proteas

Team Details

Team Bio

After finishing sixth at the inaugural Netball World Cup in Eastbourne, England, in 1963, and third in Perth in 1967, the Proteas did not appear in another World Cup for 28 years, due to the restrictions placed on all of South Africa’s national sporting teams because of apartheid.

However when they did return to netball’s ultimate stage – at the 1995 World Cup in Birmingham, England – they did so with a bang, becoming the only country besides Australia and New Zealand to contest a World Cup final**. This final appearance is the Proteas highest ever World Cup result, going down in the final to Australia, 68-48.

NWC2015 will be the Proteas’ sixth consecutive World Cup appearance. After their success in Birmingham, they went on to finish fifth in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 1999, fifth in Kingston, Jamaica, in 2003, and sixth in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2007, their equal lowest World Cup finish, with their inaugural performance in 1963. Most recently, in Singapore in 2011, South Africa finished fifth.

South Africa will head into NWC2015 with a new coach, with the nation recently announcing 2011 World Championship winning coach of the Australian Diamonds, Norma Plummer, at the helm of the Proteas.

Of the total 63 World Cup matches they have played, the Proteas have won 38 and lost 19, giving them a World Cup winning percentage of 67%.

*Rankings based on the International Netball Federation’s (INF) current World Rankings as of June 4, 2015. Please note that the Netball World Cup Pool allocations are based on the INF World Rankings of 1 July 2014.

** Finals were not introduced into the Netball World Cup format until 1991.