KWALE kancane ukuthi iqembu lakuleli lesizwe le-netball limvalelise ngendebe umqeqeshi uNorma Plummer, osethatha umhlalaphansi ngesikhathi lihlulwa yi-England ngo 2-1 ochungechungeni olusongwe ngeSonto, eNottingham, e-England.
Lolu chungechunge lokuphetha unyaka luqale ngesonto eledlule ngoLwesibili e-AO Arena, eManchester, kunqoba iqembu lasekhaya ngo 54-51.
Iqembu lakuleli livuke lazithatha emdlalweni wesibili obuseMotorpoint Arena, eNottingham, ngoMgqibelo, liwunqoba ngo 61-59, nokwenze la maqembu angena kowokugcina, obudlalelwa enkundleni efanayo ngeSonto, ebambene ngo 1-1.
Kulo mdlalo obuzocacisa ukuthi indebe izothathwa yiliphi iqembu, iRoses ibilokhu ihamba phambili ekupheleni kwamakota kodwa amaProteas nawo engazibekile phansi. Iqembu lagcina linqobe kunzima ngo 53-50.
“Ngiphoxekile ngokuthi asiwunqobanga umdlalo. Kodwa ekugcineni bekuwumqhudelwano phakathi kweqembu lase-England elinohlelo oluphelele neqembu laseNingizimu Afrika elihlangana uma kunomqhudelwano noma amakhempu ambalwa okuzilolonga,” kusho uPlummer.
“Siwine umdlalo owodwa kulolu chungechunge, sahlulwa eminye emibili ngamagoli amathathu, okungewona umehluko omkhulu. Ngiyaziqhenya kakhulu ngaleli qembu. Abadlali bebekhathele kancane ekugcineni kodwa lokho kufanele kulindelwe uma abadlali bengajwayele ukudlala kuleli zinga.
“Kuyishwa ukuthi asilunqobanga uchungechunge kodwa ngingakuqinisekisa ukuthi kukhona esikwakhile lapha futhi ngiyethemba ukuthi iqembu lisazokhula. Ngithanda ukufisela iqembu okuhle futhi ngibonge amathuba okusebenzisana nalo. Sekuyisikhathi sokuthi i-netball yaseNingizimu Afrika iqhubeke nokudlondlobala.”
UPlummer (79) waqala ukuqeqesha iqembu lesizwe lakuleli ngo-2015, walisiza laqeda endaweni yesine eNdebeni yoMhlaba ka-2019, eLiverpool. Ube eselishiya ngemuva kwalowo mqhudelwano, izintambo zathathwa uDorette Badenhorst.
Nokho, ubuyisiwe ngoNovemba nyakenye, ukuzolitakula ngaphambi kweNdebe yoMhlaba yanonyaka ebiseKapa, lapho amaProteas eqede khona endaweni yesithupha.
Wanqoba iNdebe yoMhlaba esengumdlali ne-Australia ngo-1975, waphinde wayithatha naleli qembu esengumqeqeshi ngo-2007 nango-2011. Uthe nakuba engeke esaqeqesha ngokuphelele kodwa usengakwazi ukulekelela amaqembu ezihlalele ekhaya eMelbourne.