Johannesburg – Defending champions Johannesburg got off to a rocky start at the SPAR National Netball, losing their opening game to Cape Town at Dr EG Jansen High School in Boksburg, Ekhuruleni.
After a fiercely contested encounter, on Monday, 1 December 2025, the Western Cape outfit defeated the three-time champions 56-53.
It was a match of shifting momentum, with Cape Town striking first and securing the lead at the end of every quarter.
However, Johannesburg refused to let them get away, trailing by just one goal at half-time.
But Cape Town eventually stamped their authority in the final period to seal the hard-fought victory.
Although thrilled with the win, Cape Town wing/goal attack Nicholé Breedt was a bit apprehensive, saying: “I think we’ve put a little bit of a target on our backs.
“But that’s what you want when you’re a top team, you need to bring it to every single game,”
Breedt, who played at the SPAR National Netball Championships for the first time since 2021, when she was part of the winning Cape Winelands side, said beating the defending champions means “we have to step up for every single game.
“We’re going to have to play hard from the beginning to the end of the tournament.”
Breedt revealed that when preparing to take on the defending champions, she was inspired by watching the Springbok documentary, Chasing the Sun.
“I remember what Rassie [Erasmus] said – we’re going to look for weaknesses, but don’t forget we have strengths and they’re sitting and doing exactly the same.
“So instead of over-analysing how and what they’re going to do and what they did in the past, we focused on what we have and what we’ve learned, and how we could bring our strengths to the court and be on the attack with them defending.
“So, we wanted them to be more in the mindset of what they were going to do against us.”
Commenting on the loss, Johannesburg’s Kekeletso Molotsi blamed her side’s defeat on “opening day nerves” that led to inconsistency.
“We are a fairly new team, especially at the back, coming in with youngsters who haven’t been exposed to this level of netball,” Molotsi said.
“I felt it was a wake-up call for all of us – this is the pressure; this is what is expected from us. Not the best start… but we build from here.
“It was down to inconsistency.
“I believe when we were ahead, we were supposed to put our foot on the pedal and go, but because it’s first-game jitters, we were up and then down.
“But now the ice is broken, and I believe everyone will put in a better performance going forward.”
Later in the day, Cape Town maintained their winning ways against the visiting Botswana national team, coached by former SPAR Proteas captain Martha Mosoahle-Samm.
Botswana are participating in the tournament as preparation for the imminent Africa Netball Cup in Malawi.
Cape Town claimed a 55-39 victory against Botswana.
Johannesburg’s match against Botswana was postponed after persistent rain and lightning brought an end to the day’s play.
Tshwane were the only other A section side to secure two victories on the opening day after beating Nelson Mandela Bay 54-41 and Cape Winelands 53-35.
Meanwhile, last year’s runners-up Mangaung, coached by SPAR Protea stalwart Karla Pretorius, enjoyed a solid start to their campaign with a 51-46 win over the Dr Kenneth Kaunda side from North West.
Mangaung’s second match of the day against eThekwini was postponed due to the weather.
In the Under-21 division, coach Bongi Msomi’s Johannesburg side enjoyed the perfect start to their title defence with an emphatic 69-17 victory over eThekwini, while 2023 champions Tshwane defeated home side Ekurhuleni 44-29.
Results
Senior A Section
Tshwane 54 – 41 Nelson Mandela Bay
Cape Winelands 37 – 44 eThekwini
Johannesburg 53 – 56 Cape Town
Mangaung 51 – 46 Dr Kenneth Kaunda
Cape Winelands 35 – 53 Tshwane
Cape Town 55 – 39 Botswana
eThekwini vs Mangaung (postponed)
Johannesburg vs Botswana (postponed)
Under 21
Johannesburg 69 – 17 eThekwini
Tshwane 44 – 29 Ekurhuleni
Dr Kenneth Kaunda 56 – 26 Cape Town
Tinita van Dyk of Johannesburg in action against Cape Town (Image: Reg Caldecott/Gallo Images) 
Shiane Fouche of Johannesburg tackles Cape Town’s Sian Moore (Image: Reg Caldecott/Gallo Images) 
GV during day 1 of the SPAR National Netball Championship at Dr EG Jansen High School (Image: Reg Caldecott/Gallo Images)
