Jewels one semi-final win from Sydney 2027
Namibia’s senior women’s netball team, the Debmarine Desert Jewels, will head into today’s Pool One showdown against defending champions South Africa knowing that their place in the Africa Netball Cup semi-finals is already secure.
Regardless of the result in Kenya, what remains at stake against the Spar Proteas is where Julene Meyer’s charges finish in the pool and, consequently, which side they face in Thursday’s last four.
The Jewels have made a perfect start in Nairobi, following their opening 54-32 victory over Botswana’s Dinaledi with a 47-31 win over Zimbabwe’s Gems and yesterday’s commanding 62-36 victory over Tanzania’s Taifa Queens.
The 26-goal margin was the Jewels’ biggest at the tournament so far. The three victories have taken Namibia to six points from three matches, with 163 goals scored and 99 conceded for a +64 goal difference and a goal average of 1.65.
Today’s opposition
South Africa have similarly made light work of their opening assignments, routing Tanzania 90-22 before defeating Zimbabwe 58-41.
Those results left the Spar Proteas with 148 goals scored and only 63 conceded from two matches, giving them a considerably stronger goal average of 2.35 than Namibia heading into their third encounter.
At the time of going to print yesterday, South Africa were in action against Botswana.
A victory would take the Spar Proteas to three wins from three matches and level with Namibia on six points heading into today’s head-to-head, with their superior goal average putting them in pole position for top spot in Pool One.
The Jewels will therefore know exactly what is required when the two unbeaten sides meet, with victory completing a perfect 4-0 group-stage campaign and securing first place in the pool.
One win from Sydney
The tournament’s crossover format pits the Pool One winners against the Pool Two runners-up, while the Pool Two winners face the Pool One runners-up.
The Jewels will thus face either Uganda’s She Cranes or Malawi’s Queens in the last four, depending on the final standings in the two pools.
Victory in that semi-final would put the Jewels into the Africa Netball Cup final and secure one of the two remaining African berths at the 2027 Netball World Cup in Sydney.
Such a result would end Namibia’s 31-year wait to qualify for another World Cup, having last competed at the global showpiece in England in 1995.
Speaking to Sport Wrap ahead of the business end of the tournament, Meyer said she was pleased with how her charges have navigated their campaign.
“I’m very happy about the performance of the team thus far. I think we took each game, game for game, and that’s the important thing in this tournament,” said the Jewels head coach.
“There is a big prize at the end of the tournament, which is a qualification spot [to the Netball World Cup], and to look ahead beyond the task of the day would be irresponsible and reckless.”
‘Getting the job done’
She added that her charges will now focus only on their next test against the Spar Proteas, who have already qualified for Sydney 2027 through their world ranking.
“We will go at them with the same approach [as our previous opponents], focussing on the task at hand and just taking it day for day and making sure that we get the job done for the day, not looking beyond that,” she said.
The Jewels will, however, have little time to turn their attention to tomorrow’s semi-final, which carries greater consequences for their World Cup ambitions.
On this, Meyer said: “We will have to plan really well and do our recovery really well to be ready for [the semi-final] game after the South African game.”
Winning Thursday’s semi-final would provide Namibia with the most straightforward route to Sydney by removing the need for a separate World Cup qualification play-off on Friday.
