The Baby Proteas were thwarted in the semi-finals of the 2025 Netball World Youth Cup in Gibraltar, when they went down 67-36 to Australia, who booked their place in the final against New Zealand. South Africa will now face England in the bronze medal play-off.
The Baby Proteas entered the semi-final as underdogs, despite having recorded a superior goal difference during the group stages. South Africa knew they would need to deliver their very best performance against the Aussies to set up a date with New Zealand in the final.
Australia, however, were determined not to surrender their opportunity to reach the final and go one better than in 2017. They were first off the mark, applying relentless pressure on the South Africans, who were forced out of their usual rhythm into long passes that favoured the Aussies. At the end of the first quarter, Australia led 19-9.
The second quarter unfolded much the same way, with Australia continuing to press hard. The Baby Proteas began to settle midway through the quarter, but it was too late to halt Australia’s momentum. Coach Precious Mthembu introduced changes at the start of the third quarter in search of a spark, but Australia proved the stronger of the two sides, extending their advantage to 48-21.
In the final quarter, Australia kept their foot on the pedal to ensure an all-Australasian final against New Zealand.
Mthembu said that the loss was a tough one against the Aussies. “We really tested ourselves tonight. It was interesting to see where we stood at this level. We lost too many passes in transitions, when we turned the ball, we could not convert and against a team like Australia you really get punished by those errors. It’s impossible to play a catch-up game against a team like Australia. Now we need to learn from the loss and focus on our bronze medal match against England on Sunday and put every effort into a podium finish.”
