Jenny van Dyk happy with final squad to compete against England

This follows a training camp over the weekend where players were assessed before the technical team could finalise the squad - ahead of a test series which starts on 29 January at Ellis Park.

Speaking to SABC Sport, Van Dyk says they are confident that they will build good enough combinations to grind the results against one of the top four ranked teams in the world.

"We are happy with the team we selected to represent the nation against England, and there is an opportunity for us to build quite a few different strategies around the combinations we selected, so all in all, we are really excited."

READ: Former Sundowns goalkeeper Asa Rabalao celebrates success as youth coach

The Proteas are fresh from retaining their Africa Cup championship in Lilongwe.

Van Dyk says that she is proud that they managed to maintain their status as reigning African Champions, and she is excited to be back for another test series on home soil.

"We are excited to back at Ellis Park. This was where we started our journey as the new coaches, so it will be fantastic to play in front of our home crowd. The expectation is that we get everyone to fill the stadium to have a great South African vibe."

The 43-year-old mentor had urged their supporters to come in numbers to witness the national team take on a competitive English side.

Van Dyk adds that she is excited for people to witness Tinita van Dyk of the Gauteng Golden Fireballs and Thulisile Maduna of KZN Kingdom Stars in national colours for the first time.

"We are giving them an opportunity to get out there. We are quite excited to have Tinita van Dyk with us - she has a tall and strong body, coupled with her accuracy, and the best part about her is that she can double up on both sides, on the attack and the defence which makes her a great versatile player.

"Hopefully we can get her and Thulisile Maduna to take the to the court when the time comes."