Proteas fight hard but Diamonds dominate to seal whitewash

THE SPAR Proteas showed real determination in the early stages of their final Test against the Australian Diamonds in Adelaide, but the hosts’ precision and power eventually proved too much as South Africa fell 65-42. The result sealed a 3-0 whitewash for the world champions.

Fighting start, harsh finish

South Africa began with intent, matching Australia goal for goal and forcing the Diamonds onto the back foot. The Proteas’ defensive intensity and quick transitions disrupted the home side’s rhythm for much of the opening quarter.

However, in the final three minutes, the Diamonds shifted gears, scoring seven unanswered goals to take the first quarter 20-11.

Van Dyk: ‘A big learning experience’

Proteas head coach Jenny van Dyk praised her team’s effort but admitted the gap in quality was clear.

“Firstly, we would like to congratulate Australia on their fantastic performance. Coming back to us, I believe that there were moments that I think we were right on point and doing a great job on attacks mostly – we have a lot of work that lies ahead of us, we still have a lot to do.”

Aussies pull away

The second quarter followed a similar pattern. The Proteas showed flashes of pace and creativity, with Van Dyk introducing Owethu Ngubane for Kamogelo Masego and debutant Juanita van Tonder replacing Nicola Smith at goalkeeper. But Australia’s composure and experience told as they extended their lead, taking the quarter 19-9 to head into half-time 39-20 ahead.

Van Dyk made more changes after the break, bringing on Rolene Streutker and Refiloe Nketsa. The adjustments sparked renewed energy, and the Proteas managed to edge the third quarter 12-10 — a small but notable victory in a tough contest.

Diamonds seal the sweep

The final quarter saw the Diamonds reassert their authority, outscoring the Proteas 16-10 to complete a convincing 65-42 win. Despite the margin, South Africa’s persistence and moments of flair provided positives to build on as they return home to focus on long-term development.

The SA coach said their top priority is to go back to the drawingboard, and see how they can prevent this from happening in the future. 

“We are looking forward to getting back home and start working on areas of improvement. A lot of our identified areas of improvements need a lot of work and not quick fixes, this is something that we need to work on and drilling into our players. We learnt a lot about our players, where they are strong, how they adapt and how we need to manage them.

“This series was a big eye opener for us, a big learning experience and exercise as well,” Van Dyk said.

The Proteas leave Australia without a win but with valuable lessons — and the belief that progress, though gradual, is firmly under way.

Quarter Score Breakdown

Q1: SPAR Proteas 11-20 Aussie Diamonds

Q2: SPAR Proteas 20-39 Aussie Diamonds

Q3: SPAR Proteas 32-49 Aussie Diamonds

Q4: SPAR Proteas 42-65 Aussie Diamonds