Johannesburg hit winning groove after slow start to National Netball Championship defence

Defending champions Johannesburg seemed to be peaking at the right time in the senior A section of the Spar National Netball Championships, with Thursday morning’s hard-fought 51-46 win over Dr Kenneth Kaunda their third win in a row after a sluggish start.

Coach Elsjé Jordaan’s side had started the tournament at Dr EG Jansen High School in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni, with a 56-53 loss against Cape Town on Monday before drawing with Nelson Mandela Bay in their next match.

However, they secured two important wins on Wednesday – a 71-38 blowout win over Cape Winelands and 54-47 triumph over eThekwini – that seemed to reignite their campaign.

“I definitely think we’re building. We had a tough two days at the start … I knew I just needed one or two games where we could get some momentum. And I think that’s what happened this morning,” Jordaan said, after Wednesday’s turnaround.

“I love the energy that was out there on the court, and I could see the attacks started to flow more.”

Dr Kenneth Kaunda pushed the three-time defending champions on Thursday morning, however, with the teams level at the beginning of the fourth quarter before Johannesburg closed out the contest in the final five minutes as the pressure told on their rivals.

Their ability to convert more than 90% of their goal-shooting chances ultimately proved the difference between the two teams.

Johannesburg strengthened their grip on second place on the log with the victory, ahead of their shootout against Tshwane later in the day.

Rozanne Matthyse’s charges from Pretoria were hoping to bounce back from a 49-34 defeat against log leaders Cape Town, who continued their perfect start to the competition after six matches. Mangaung leapfrogged Tshwane and  

Cape Town coach Freda Kemp believes the groundwork her side put in ahead of the tournament was showing on court.

“We worked our butts off,” she said.

“After the TNL (Telkom Netball League) we realised that we need to put more work in. And we went on extensive SNC (strength and conditioning) programmes and worked hard on our coaching sessions. It’s so good to see them reap the reward of their hard work.

“Obviously, we’re in the business of winning, and the more you win, the better you play, so we are trying to execute critical moments and keep our error rate low and be consistent.”

In the Under-21 A section, defending champions Johannesburg, who are coached by former Proteas skipper Bongi Msomi, were also unbeaten at the end of Wednesday's play and well on track for a semi-final place.