Exclusive: Van Wyk hopes Jaguars can be ‘pushed off their throne’

• Published date: 26 April 2024
• Author: Morgan Bolton morgan.bolton@inl.co.za
• Publication title: Daily News

That will be difficult, because the Tshwane-based outfit are the undisputed queens of the TNL, and former coach Van Dyk is one of the reasons they have become so formidable in the past seven years

That is in the past for the highly rated Van Wyk, who was promoted to head coach of the Proteas earlier this year after the departure of Norma Plummer.

She will now experience the TNL with a more critical eye as she searches across the teams for the next big star, the next X-factor, the next leader of the national team.

One of the skills the former Proteas squad player will be searching for is mental fortitude, and in this regard, Van Wyk believes the ever-improving TNL is the perfect proving ground.

“What a lot of people tend to forget is that the first three years that the Jaguars played in the competition they lost in the finals against the (Free State) Crinums,” Van Wyk recalled in an exclusive interview with Independent Newspapers.

“Back then, it was a young squad that lost in extra time twice, (but) it is in finals that you can build BMT (big-match temperament). The Jaguars have become so clinical in managing those big moments.

“The expectation is that we have made the final, we are going to feel great, we are going to win and we will be done. In reality, it is never an easy game, and sometimes you need to understand that. Just because we don’t feel in control doesn’t mean you can just let go of the game.

“It’s in those moments where the grind happens, and we build that mental toughness and resilience. We need everybody (in the TNL) to be competitive, so that we can make more of those decisions at the end.”

It is for this reason that Van Wyk hopes that the TNL will be a stern test for all concerned when it starts today at the Ellis Park Arena in Johannesburg.

The Jaguars have won the tournament on...