Jenny van Dyk expects high standards in Africa Cup title defence

The seven-day championship will take place at the Griffin Saenda Sports Complex in Lilongwe between 8 and 14 December.

Speaking to SABC Sport, van Dyk says their participation in this continental showpiece is important for the team to investigate areas of improvement ahead of the next Commonwealth games.

The Proteas competed in a series against the world number one and two - Australia and NewZealand in October to help prepare for the Africa Cup title defence.

van Dyk says despite gaining the much-needed experience against two top teams, it will still be important to approach the Africa Cup with a different mindset, since playing on the continent comes with its own challenges.

"The Australia and New-Zealand tour was obviously massive and tough for us. African competitions on the other hand, bring its own challenges like the heat and humidity, and the facility itself. However, its good for the development of our players and for them to play under that pressure."

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The 42-year-old mentor further unpacks areas that need more attention in her combinations.

"So far, we are quite happy with our core combinations that we've been working on for a while. It's also important for us to create depth in the wing attack and goalkeeping positions."