The cream of South Africa's netball talent kicked off the Spar National Netball Championships in Cape Town on Thursday morning.
There is a difference between playing good netball and playing winning netball. Johannesburg coach Elsje Jordaan believes that distinction has been the foundation of her side's four-year dominance of the Spar National Netball Championships – and could be the key to an unprecedented fifth successive title at the tournament that got under way in Cape Town on Thursday morning.
While injuries have forced the reigning champions to blood new talent and rivals continue to close the gap, the former national team coach believes her team possesses something that cannot be built overnight: the composure to deliver when trophies are on the line, or big-match temperament.
"Over the last four years we've learnt how to play winning netball in finals and semi-finals," Jordaan said. "That's a completely different tournament once you get to those stages. We've learnt composure under pressure, and we take a lot of pride in that."
Johannesburg edged Cape Town by a single point in last year's dramatic A-division final to secure a fourth consecutive title, but Jordaan insists history counts for little once a new campaign begins.
