Italian ace up her sleeve: Banyana coach Ellis plays Refiloe Jane card close

Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis says she will wait until the “very last minute” before deciding whether captain Refiloe Jane will feature against Italy in their crunch FIFA Women’s World Cup encounter in Wellington on Wednesday.

During Banyana’s Group G clash against Argentina at Dunedin Stadium, which ended 2-2 on Friday, the team's skipper was stretchered off the field in the early stages of the first half.

The uncertainty surrounding the seriousness of the injury had caused concern, but Banyana team doctor Nthabiseng Maesela revealed that the knock was minor, after all.

The midfielder suffered a soft tissue injury, which was confirmed after going for a scan.

Jane, who has succeeded long-standing skipper Janine van Wyk and captained Banyana at the Africa Cup of Nations last year, will have garnered much inside information on Italian football to share with her teammates as she has plied her trade in Italy since 2019, playing for AC Milan before joining Sassuolo last year.

"As we said, she has a soft tissue injury, and we will wait until the very last minute before we make a final decision," Ellis said.

"So, of course, her knowledge is very valuable. She's played in Italy and played there for a while now, and one of her [Sassuolo] teammates [Benedetta Orsi] is playing in the Italian team as well.

"Her information has been very, very useful. And we used a lot of that, but also our own analysis, to profile the Italian team. And, hopefully, our plan will come together tomorrow."

Jane’s experience and tactical ability will come to good use if available, as Banyana will need a victory to advance to the round of 16.

Sweden is the only team guaranteed a place in the next round, with Banyana, Italy and Argentina fighting for