2023 Netball World Cup: Uganda, hosts South Africa set up 5th place showdown

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 2023 NETBALL WORLD CUP 

 Friday playoff results 

Malawi 46-57 Uganda
South Africa 72-46 Tonga
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This Sunday (August 6), Uganda will meet South Africa for the fourth time at a Netball World Cup, after both sides won their respective playoff duels on Friday to advance to the fifth place match of this concluding edition in South Africa.

In the earlier match of the day, The She Cranes flew over Malawi's Queens 57-46 in an all-African affair, before the Proteas blossomed over the Tonga Tala in a 72-46 result.

Now, Uganda will face off again with South Africa for Africa's top spot at this edition hosted on African soil for the first time ever.

And when east and south meet this Sunday — the final day of this edition — to settle the fifth place contest, memories of their pulsating encounter only three days prior will still be fresh: it was a close one that saw the hosts edge the Ugandans 52-50.

That narrow margin in Thursday's stage two encounter will have fueled more Ugandan belief and enthusiasm that they are good enough to produce a first ever World Cup victory over South Africa.

The She Cranes have beaten the Proteas before, only it was on a different stage.

At the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmigham, Uganda beat South Africa 54-48 to take fifth place and the African bragging rights at that competition.

Now, who will take the African top spot at this World Cup? The answer will emerge on Sunday.

Meanwhile, The She Cranes had to battle hard against the Malawians to guarantee a best-ever finish at this competition.

In that one, the Ugandans took a five-goal lead into half time after going neck and neck to produce a tight 14-14 opening quarter result, before peeling away in the second quarter (14-9) to create some much-needed daylight between themselves and the equally combative Queens.

The two sides returned to once again go toe to toe in the third quarter, as Malawi looked eager to close the slightly widening gulf, but it was The She Cranes that took that one 15-12 to lift off into the final quarter with an eight-goal lead.

Uganda then wrapped up proceedings with a 14-11 last quarter display to register a first ever World Cup win over Malawi.

Queens' goal shooter Joyce Mvula netted 27 goals while goal attack Mwai Kumwenda scored 19 goals.

Nassanga, Nuba shine again

The entire Ugandan team showed the grit and mettle that has typified their performances against the best of the best.

Once again, 6.5-foot goal shooter Mary Cholhok Nuba's aerial superiority was crucial in The She Cranes' conversion rate under the Malawian net on Friday, and her partnership with industrious goal attack Shadiah Nassanga — who slotted in the most number of goals across the entire court — carried the Ugandans over the line.

Nassanga, who was voted the best player of Uganda's Thursday match against South Africa, was once again deservedly named the best player on the day against Malawi.

She was at her phenomenal best again, scoring 38 goals, while Nuba slotted in 19 to inspire The She Cranes into a first ever fifth place match at this competition.

Malawi will play against Tonga in the seventh place match.

Hosts South Africa made light work of their contest against the Tonga Tola, although an opening quarter of a 12-12 score did well to unsettle home nerves.

The Proteas came out battling in the second quarter, which they took 18-11, before increasing their lead with a 17-13 third quarter production and then wrapping it up with a 25-10 display in the final quarter to comfortably put the contest to bed.

Home attentions now turn to how to deal with Uganda.

Meanwhile, as they recharge for their final game, The She Cranes are sitting pretty, with a good amount of time to reflect on yet another successful campaign in which they are assured of a best-ever finish at the World Cup, which is either fifth or sixth.

At the last edition in England, Uganda finished seventh, one place better than in the previous competition in Australia in 2015, where they took the eighth place. Before then, it was a tie for 13th place with Saint Lucia at the 1979 championships in Trinidad and Tobago.

Uganda started their latest campaign with a huge 79-37 win over Singapore, a dominant stage one display that saw the East African netballing powerhouse ease through all the quarters 22-9, 20-9, 20-11 and 17-8.

What followed was a narrow 44-54 defeat to world number two and reigning champions New Zealand, before The She Cranes picked themselves back up with a resounding 74-34 victory over Trinidad and Tobago to advance to the next stage.

Here, the Ugandan side was grouped with hosts South Africa, Jamaica, New Zealand, Wales, and Trinidad and Tobago, with this group's top two progressing to the semifinals and the bottom four left to compete for the final placings.

Uganda started off with a 49-61 loss to unbeaten Jamaica, before reigning supreme over Wales in a 73-56 result.

Having already played against New Zealand and Trinidad and Tobago, The She Cranes were left with one final group match — an African derby against familiar opponents: South Africa.

The South Africans revenged their 2022 Commonwealth Games defeat with a narrow two-goal margin in an entertaining 52-50 result.

That victory, though, was not enough for the Proteas to snatch the group's second semifinal spot from New Zealand, with whom they drew 48-48 days before. That meant that the hosts had to settle for third place and compete for the 5th-8th playoffs.

After Uganda beating fellow Africans Malawi and South Africa seeing off Tonga, the continent is eagerly waiting to see who will rise to the top come Sunday.

Meanwhile, England will play against defending champions New Zealand in the first semifinal on Saturday, before Jamaica take on record winners Australia in the second semifinal the same day.