Precious Mthembu declares Baby Proteas World Youth Cup readiness

The Proteas look to fine tune combinations when they play their final friendly against Cook Islands on Thursday.

With just two days before the World Cup kicks off, Mthembu wants her players revived ahead of Saturday’s clash against Barbados.

"It was the only available time for us to spend time in the UK, especially with the University and U21s, they tested us against their style, so we were able to work on different combinations," said Mthembu.

"Of course, in that level of the competition leading up to the World Cup, you don't always want to play all your cards, especially against a team competing in the same competition, otherwise we become too predictable.

"So, from my side on a coaching perspective, I just needed to be a little bit more smart. It wasn't really about the end result of the score, it was about the combinations we put on under pressure with the style of England.

"I think that was the most important one because those are the players we'll be playing against eventually, and I think the girls showed great unity and the physicality against England was a wake-up call for them, and they did not expect that."

READ: Maseko shares World Cup advice for Baby Proteas

South Africa’s 15-player squad will be experiencing a World Cup for the first time this year, and Mthembu is working on making sure they remain motivated with a positive mindset, despite their lack of international experience.

"I've been watching how they've just grown from one competition to another, and challenging each other to be the best," she added.

"With the younger players, I think the conversation we've had is that there is no young player here because the minute you start having that kind of conversations of youngest players, she will feel she needs to be given special attention, and we don't want that.

"The attention must be across the team, the same like having 15 players and only 12 will play, but the preparation is done through all 15 players."