THE bigger picture for Banyana Banyana will always be the 2018 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations.
But that is not meant to devalue the Cosafa Women’s Championships, where the South African women are the defending champions.
Striker Jermaine Seoposenwe explains this better as she talks about Banyana’s ambitions at the annual Cosafa tournament currently underway in Port Elizabeth.
“For us this is not just about Cosafa. It is a great stepping stone going into the Women’s Afcon, especially if we retain our title as is our aim,” says Seoposenwe.
The tournament, to be held in Ghana in November-December, serves as a qualifier for the 2019 World Cup, with the top three finishers earning tickets to the finals in France.
“Players will gain lots of confidence and gel better. Remember, we don’t play together regularly as Banyana. So tournaments like this one help us get on the same wavelength.
“Afcon will be tougher, teams are tactically very good there. So we need to improve our tactical awareness and technical ability.”
Seoposenwe scored a last-gasp winner against Botswana to put South Africa top of group A with six points on Friday.
But Banyana are not yet home and dry, as they need a point when they face Malawi at Wolfson Stadium today (3.30pm) to secure a semifinal place.
“Yes, our title defence dream could easily have been in danger with a draw against Botswana. But our plan is still on track,” Seoposenwe adds.
“We don’t know what Malawi will bring. We just need to go back to how we played for the first 15 minutes in our first game against Madagascar.
“There was a lot of purpose. We played the ball quicker, with lots of crosses, and we went forward. We need to replicate that against Malawi. I don’t think I’ve played against them. They’re the unknown. We can’t be lethargic, we can’t relax.”