South Africa coach Norma Plummer has pronounced herself unimpressed with Australia despite her team's heavy loss in the first Quad Nations Test.
Former long-serving Diamonds mentor Plummer says she expected more from the Diamonds, who found their feet in the second half of a 61-44 win in Auckland on Saturday.
The fifth-ranked Proteas were missing three first-choice midcourters so were ripe for the plucking, Plummer says, which is why she feels the world champions underperformed in leading just 28-24 at halftime.
"I thought it was up and down. I didn't think it was that flash," she said.
"Only when we started throwing the ball away (did it change). They did apply pressure but it didn't ever feel like they were absolutely dominating us."
Plummer, 73, has previously queried whether Australia should have made more personnel changes heading into April's Commonwealth Games, where England pipped them for gold.
She believes the Diamonds should be fit and firing, coming off a Super Netball competition that's in a different league to South Africa's amateur equivalent.
Australian coach Lisa Alexander disagrees with Plummer's assessment, pointing out the fifth-ranked South Africa have become a force and could push England and New Zealand in the Quad Series.
"We were expecting it to be close for the whole game. We weren't ever thinking it would be a 20-goal win or anything like that," Alexander said.
"It's always nerve-racking, that first Test. I'm very pleased we built as the game went on."
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