Cape Town - The Spar Proteas, South Africa's netball team, will use the 2022 Quad Series as a dress rehearsal for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, later this year.
The fifth world-ranked Proteas have the benefit of running out over five action-packed days against three teams, all of whom are ranked higher. The other three teams in the four-nation tournament are Australia (1), World Champions New Zealand (2) and England (3), the Commonwealth Games Champions.
The tournament starts on Saturday afternoon and hosts England will play the Proteas in the pipe-opener in London, at the Copper Box Arena, a multi-sport venue used for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
With the Commonwealth Games coming up in July, the tournament will provide an excellent opportunity to see how the squad will fare against high-quality opposition, which have strong medal potential in Birmingham. South Africa's coaching staff also have the opportunity to try new combinations in a competitive environment.
“It is always great to play against some of the best teams in the world," said Proteas coach Dorette Badenhorst. "It gives you a sense of where you are as a team.
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"I am delighted that we will get a chance to compete at this level, especially after playing Africa Netball Championships and spending time in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
"We just need to do a bit of adjusting now and step up."
Proteas captain Bongiwe Msomi, the most capped player of the team, said there was a positive mood in the camp.
"It is always an honour for us to run out on court and represent our country," said Msomi.
"The mood in the camp is very jovial and everyone is incredibly positive. We have a few young players in the team, and we as the senior players need to make sure that we guide them and hold their hands in this series."
The fixtures
Saturday
16:00 England v South Africa; 18:15 New Zealand v Australia
Sunday
16:00 Australia v South Africa; 18:15 New Zealand v England
Tuesday
19:30 South Africa v New Zealand; 21:30 England v Australia
Wednesday
19:30 Third v Fourth place playoff; 21:30 Final
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