Cool heads under pressure have seen the Silver Ferns close out a 61-58 win over the England Roses in London to go 1-nil up in their three-match series.
Midcourter Kate Heffernan produced a defensive masterclass, picking up six deflections and two intercepts. The wing defence also made some eye-catching feeds into the circle, continuing in the same vein of form she built against Australia and Scotland.
England rode the support of a raucous Copper Box Arena crowd with a 17-14 third-quarter victory, but failed to sustain their edge and make the most of their opportunities.
Ferns shooter Grace Nweke finished with 53 goals at 93% accuracy.
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The sides were clearly very evenly matched. However, the Silver Ferns were defensively more accurate, and the midcourt controlled the pace of the contest late to secure the tight win.
On Sky Sport, coach Yvette McCausland-Durie said it was a great game, full of everything.
“I think we had opportunities to settle a lot earlier and a lot of ball. But the defence of England – they really put pressure on you in terms of where that placement opportunity is. Really pleased to get the win.”
Heffernan said England always brings intensity.
“We did well to weather the storm a little bit and be able to close it out at the end because the lead was going back and forth. To be able to win a game like that is really encouraging for the future.”
It took well over a minute for Roses goal attack Helen Housby to score the opening goal, with both sides making early mistakes.
An offensive contact call on Nweke gave England the initial advantage. The Roses’ defensive duo of Funmi Fadoju and Jaz Brown picked several turnovers off Nweke and Kiwi goal attack Georgia Heffernan in the first stanza.
However, England failed to capitalise on their hard-won possession. Some lightning-fast ball from centre Maddy Gordon into Nweke saw the Ferns finish the opening quarter up 15-14.
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After the break, skipper Karin Burger managed to roll a bounce pass between the legs of her opposite to help put the Ferns up by three goals. However, Gordon uncharacteristically had a communication breakdown with Georgia Heffernan, floating an easy intercept to Fadoju.
Gordon and wing defence Kate Heffernan’s lob passes to Nweke continued to work a treat. The Ferns’ ability to score quickly off centre pass kept pressure on England to nail their own, though Housby was unshakeable from wide in the circle.
Kate Heffernan then brilliantly picked off two intercepts, giving New Zealand a 33-30 halftime lead.
England started the third quarter strongly, drawing level after Nweke put a foot out of bounds.
A communication breakdown between Gordon and Nweke saw England surge into a two-goal lead, the two players looking at each other in confusion after Nweke dropped it in the circle.
Amelia Walmsley joined the contest at goal attack and looked composed, calmly slotting goals when required and lobbing a nice feed into Nweke from range.
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Another Kate Heffernan tip-on saw the Ferns pull the scoreline back once again. A tense third stanza finished with the scoreline locked at 47-47.
The Roses missed a shot early in the final quarter, and Kate Heffernan snatched yet another deflection.
The addition of Eleanor Cardwell in the goal shoot bib seemed to boost the Roses and helped the crowd find their voice. Cardwell nailed her first three goals and brought the hosts back to within one.
The New Zealand midcourt of Heffernan, Poi and Gordon showed their experience by slowing play down and sapping some of the energy out of the contest. Both Nweke and Walmsley were cool under pressure, and New Zealand extended their lead to three once more.
The Silver Ferns expertly wound down the clock, with all areas of the court making valuable contributions, to win the final quarter 14-13.
It means the Ferns are unbeaten on their Northern Tour, after two wins over Scotland.
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Nathan Limm has been a journalist with Newstalk ZB and the NZ Herald since 2020. He covered the Netball World Cup in Cape Town in 2023, hosts The Big League Podcast and commentates rugby and netball for Gold Sport.
Silver Ferns sweep Scotland
Another mix-and-match Silver Ferns outfit have crushed Scotland 80-48 in Glasgow to sweep the series 2-0 on their Northern Tour.
It sets them up for their much tougher three-test series against England, starting on Sunday.
The victory was highlighted by a commanding 20-7 fourth-quarter blitz with a line-up of mostly junior players.
Yvette McCausland-Durie selected a more conventional line-up in the first half compared to test one. Grace Nweke returned to the goal shoot bib alongside Amelia Walmsley at goal attack, while Maddy Gordon rejoined the action at wing attack.
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The Nweke-Gordon combination proved lethal. The pair only played the first two quarters, but Gordon racked up an incredible 31 feeds and Nweke 34 goals.
Gordon won Most Valuable Player (MVP) honours and told Sky Sport it was awesome having Nweke at the back.
“My game plan was just running the CPA [centre pass assist] really well, getting some good depth on that second phase and hitting circle edge.
“[Nweke] is world-class back there. She’s so dominant and makes my job very easy.”
Carys Stythe got another start at goal keep, forcing an early turnover. Nweke and Walmsley towered over their Scottish opposites but conceded two first-quarter turnovers in the circle.
The Thistles looked vastly improved from game one, both in their shooting accuracy and defensive pressure. They finished the first quarter trailing 21-15, scoring five more goals than in the opening stanza of game one.
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But Gordon was lobbing in passes to Nweke from as deep as the centre third, and Scotland struggled to find an answer.
Goal defence Parris Mason and wing defence Karin Burger picked off intercepts early in the second quarter, stretching New Zealand’s lead into double digits.
Kate Heffernan also made valuable contributions both with and without the ball after swapping into centre for Kimiora Poi. The Ferns dominated the second quarter 23-12 for a 44-27 halftime lead.
Martina Salmon replaced Nweke at goal shoot in the third quarter alongside Georgia Heffernan, while Stythe and Catherine Hall combined in the defensive circle for the first time at test level.
With almost an entirely new Ferns line-up, there were a few miscommunication errors and turnovers. New Zealand conceded eight general-play turnovers in the third quarter, compared to four in the first and second.
Niamh McCall continued to be a standout for Scotland. The goal attack was reliable from range and shot confidently, despite being the shortest player in the circle.
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Scotland goal defence Cerys Finn proved a pest, making circle feeds and forcing some dodgy passes between Georgia Heffernan and Salmon.
The sides were more evenly matched with New Zealand edging the third quarter 16-14, but the Ferns still held an overall 60-41 lead.
The communication breakdowns continued in the fourth quarter, with wing attack Peta Toeava throwing a wild pass out of bounds.
However, Salmon and Walmsley found more space and fluidity in the circle and the goals started to flow. New Zealand blitzed the rest of the fourth quarter 20-7.
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