England dash SA netballers' Glasgow dream

The South African netball team's dream of medalling at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow was dashed on Thursday night after losing their final group match 58-54 to England.

Having suffered their first defeat the previous day, South Africa entered their final pool match with victory in mind and this was evident in their approach.

From their centre pass they immediately gained an advantage. Jenny van Dyk retained her starting seven line-up and kept her core squad unchanged.

At the end of the quarter South Africa led England 17-11.

England responded with renewed vigour in the second quarter and took the game to South Africa.

Both teams came from the bench with no substitutions. England were more aggressive and were rewarded as the quarter finished 17-12 in their favour.

South Africa went into halftime leading 29-28.

England maintained pressure on their opponents and for the first time in the match took the lead.

South Africa struggled to find their rhythm and England maintained a four-point lead throughout the championship quarter.

South Africa were forced to make a change when Captain Khanyisa Chawane sustained a head injury shortly after five minutes of play in the third quarter and was replaced by Kamogelo Maseko.

Handling errors and possession giveaways worked against South Africa and England capitalised on these mistakes when it mattered most.

At the end of the quarter England were in control and took the quarter 15-10.

South Africa found their rhythm in the final quarter but the task appeared daunting.

At the end of the quarter both teams were locked in at 15 all, but England managed to edge a tight match for a place in the netball semifinals.

South Africa will contest the play-off for fifth place on Friday.

🇿🇦 Not the result we wanted. But the belief remains. Thank you, Mzansi, for standing with Team South Africa every step of the way. South Africa will play-off for 5th place on Friday.#TeamSA #ForMyCountry #Glasgow2026 pic.twitter.com/zOoHP9Y0FE — Netball South Africa (@Netball_SA) July 30, 2026

SCORE BREAKDOWN

Q1 South Africa 17 – 11 England

Q2 South Africa 12 – 17 Englamd

Q3 South Africa 10 – 15 England

Q4 South Africa 15 – 15 Tonga

FINAL SCORE – South Africa 54 -58 England