South Africa’s netball team is in for a tough game at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games as their first encounter on Friday is against Jamaica (ranked 4th).
It is according to Erin Burger, South Africa’s most capped player, a must-win game as only the top two teams in each group will progress to the play-offs. Australia who is at the moment the world’s best team is in the same group. The Proteas is ranked fifth.
Burger (Tuks) is not one to let statistics get to her. As far as she is concerned the moment they step onto the court the playing field is level with South Africa’s chances to win as good as that of Jamaica.
“We are realistic as it is never easy playing against Jamaica. They got outstanding goal shooters. What makes it so difficult playing against them is their length. I stand to be corrected, but they are easily 1.90 metres or taller. So our challenge for the duration of the game will be to make things as difficult as we can for them. They should be under pressure each time they get the ball in the circle.”
Norma Plummer (South Africa’s head coach) tends to often say in admiration that her team has got “heart”.
As far as Burger is concerned being gutsy on the court is something that comes naturally to her and her teammates.
“South African athletes tend to be born with a never give up attitude. When you play for South Africa you want to be at your best as your country’s honour is at stake,” said Burger who when not playing is a coach at Tuks.
South Africa’s netball has really gone from strength to strength over the last two years. Whereas in the past the team tended to get "slaughtered" when they play against Australia, New Zealand and England the games are now fiercely contested affairs with the goal difference seldom being more than five.
Apart from a sense of self-belief that Plummer has installed with each player Burger credits the fact that South Africa got to play the Quad-series as a major contributor to their improvement.
“Getting to play the top teams on a regular basis led to us getting used to the intensity of their play. We are also not anymore intimidated by the physical approach of the players anymore. We now can give as good as we get on the court.
“It also helps that more and more of us get to play internationally. Last year I played for four months in Australia. There is not such a thing as an easy game in their league. In most of the games, the goal difference is two or three. I got used to playing in high-pressure games.”
At 31 years old and the first South African player to get to a 100 test caps Burger has no immediate plans to retire. All that matters at the moment is to get South Africa to play to the best of their ability at the Games. Next year there is the World Championships in which Burger hopes she will also get to play.
“Somebody once said to me you know when you need to retire. I guess I will consider retiring the day I sit next to the court as a coach realising that I am not capable of doing anything better than the players I am coaching."
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