Uganda She Cranes fall to South Africa, Malawi in 2025 Vitality Netball Nations Cup

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2025 Vitality Netball Nations Cup:

Saturday 1 February

South Africa 70-45 Uganda
England 62-36 Malawi

Sunday 2 February

Malawi 59-45 Uganda
England 59-61 South Africa

The 2025 Vitality Netball Nations Cup threw off at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, United Kingdom.

Uganda She Cranes succumbed to a sour start with two defeats to South Africa and Malawi.

In the opening day on 1^st February 2025, Uganda lost 45-70 to South Africa before host country England defeated Malawi 62-36.

On the subsequent day, Uganda fell 45-59 to Malawi in the opener and South Africa recorded their second win in the series, outmuscling England 61-59.

“It is a positive learning curve” Rashid Mubiru, head coach of Uganda She Cranes stated in the post-match interview.

“We shall better our game next weekend in London” Mubiru added.

Vitality Roses head coach Jess Thirlby believes the tournament will be a challenge, as up-and-coming nations continue to be a threat on the international stage.

“It’s important always to make sure we’re paying attention to these emerging – who is on the rise in world netball way out from what will be the next Commonwealth Games in 2026 and Netball World Cup in 2027. They’ve always got ability and talent in abundance, and when they harness that they’re a real threat on the international stage.” Thirlby said.

Spar Proteas assistant coach Zanele Mdodana, meanwhile, believes their invitation to the Vitality Netball Nations Cup is an indication that South Africa is a rising force in the sport.

“Participating in the Vitality Netball Nations Cup is massive for us. To get the invitation says the world wants to see what the Spar Proteas are doing, and they want to keep [their finger] on our pulse. It’s exciting for the girls to be able to play against higher-ranked teams – yes, we’ve played Malawi and Uganda, and we’ll meet them there again, but also the opportunity to play against England, who have really stepped up their game and caused a couple of upsets. So it’s going to be important for us to gauge and challenge ourselves against a team that’s ranked higher than us, and we’re looking forward to that experience.” said Mdodana.

The tournament will feature a round-robin phase in which six matches.

The second weekend will bring the action to London’s Copper Box Arena. Uganda will play hosts England on Saturday, 8^th February in the final round robin duel.

The top two teams on the standings after the round-robin phase will meet in the final on Sunday, 9 February, preceded by the third place playoff between the remaining two nations.

Broadcast details

Saturday 8 February