JUST like England got a chance to look to the future during the Nations Cup, South Africa is perhaps going through a similar process of its own at the moment.

With the 2023 retirement of Phumza Maweni, the seeming but yet to be confirmed retirement of Karla Pretorious and the injury to Nicola Smith, South Africa is regenerating it first choice defensive end.

At present, it is Sanmarie Visser and Jamie van Wyk that are the go to defenders, with Visser often put in goal keeper with van Wyk out in front of her.

Although Visser held her own, van Wyk was the more impressive of the two.

In the recent Nations Cup series, despite South Africa not ultimately winning the title, Van Wyk really shone, and perhaps if South Africa had gone on to win the title she may have won either Player of the Final or Player of the Series.

South Africa

Jamie van Wyk

South Africa

Height: 183cm

Weight: -

DOB: 24

van Wyk is someone is perhaps does not have the name recognition of some others because she is not playing in one of the big three domestic leagues, but this series she proved why she deserves to be better recognised.

She is strong physically, and while playing out at goal defence she is really good at using her body to delay the goal attack’s path into the deep part of the goal circle.

She also has a spring-heeled leap on her, able to get some decent height to try and intercept shots on goal.

However, for some reason she is not willing to use that leap to her advantage outside situations involving defending shots on goal, which takes her standing down a peg when compared to other goal defences like Funmi Fadoju. If van Wyk can add an aerial game outside shot defence situations that could really lift her game.

In the series against Jamaica, van Wyk and Visser was outclassed by the Jamaican attack, proving unable to thwart the influence of Shimona Jok. Jok’s height and willingness to really lead and take the ball at its highest point proved hard for the pair to overcome.

Against sides like England though, they do not like to go the aerial route because that is not how their shooters play, so height differentials are not as big of a deciding factor.

Regardless, the Nations Cup was a great way for South Africa to rebound from the disaster that was the trip to Jamaica, and the South Africans may have just unearthed a star of the future.