Live netball updates: Silver Ferns v England, second test

All the action as Silver Ferns faces England in Test 2.

He could be forgiven for believing that the Silver Ferns are elated with victory and an advantage over England before the second game of the Taini Jamison series at Hamilton tonight.

New Zealand is coming off a 58-45 victory in the opener, a gratifying margin over a fellow heavyweight intentional. But while they are more or less content to boast of an undefeated record after Covid, they are doing anything but bragging.

The second match will feature a more polished-looking Ferns outfit, which seems like a given given her lack of competition on the court in 2020. Coach Dame Noeline Taurua has called for a more fluid game, having described the first performance of her team as “shy”.

“In terms of structure, we were not as good as when we played against men … we probably took a step back in terms of the quality of the game. A lot of basic mistakes,” he says.

Normally, no column discourages a coach more than turnovers. But the sum of 21 of the Ferns was so uncharacteristic that Taurua isn’t focusing on it, suggesting it’s an easy fix.

“Usually we’re around 17 years old and that’s something we pride ourselves on when it comes to ball retention. I thought some of those balls that we coughed up were soft.

“I think we can definitely take a good five off it and get a little sharper.”

Assistant coach Reinga Bloxham says they are reviewing the necessary areas, but they are also embracing what seems to be working well, which focuses on pace, defensive pressure and scoring.

“We have taken a look at ourselves more than anything else and the players are very clear about the gameplay and their own expectations of what they need to do to get into the game.

“There were some outstanding players, and it just shows the standard of the team that even though it was a reasonable win, they were still looking and hoping and wanting more from each other.”

If they replicate most of what they produced in Game 1, the Ferns should have little trouble against a very weak England team. The records bode well for them too, as New Zealand haven’t lost at Hamilton since 1998.

Nonetheless, Bloxham expects England to come out shooting after what they showed in the first match.

“They have been isolated for two weeks, they have worked very hard to get there,” he says.

Pass to downtown Hamilton is at 7:30 pm.