[ad_1]
Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua hopes that a titanic test series against the Australian Diamonds can be staged as early as January after ending 2020 with a clean sweep of the England Roses.
Sunday’s 62-47 win over England secured a 3-0 shutout in the Taini Jamison Trophy Series and ensured the Silver Ferns finished the year without losing any of their seven events, though there were no meetings with number one Australia. of the world, due to Covid-19. Devastating impact on the sports calendar.
The Roses, who were less key stars due to their commitments in Australia, have been stiff opposition after the return of international netball after a nine-month absence due to Covid-19.
Fiona Goodall / Getty Images
The Silver Ferns beat England 3-0 in the Taini Jamison Trophy Series.
However, New Zealand was superior when it mattered in all three events at Hamilton’s crowded Claudelands Arena.
READ MORE:
* Silver Ferns sweeps England in the Taini Jamison Trophy Series after a dominant victory in Test 3
* Silver Ferns coach Noeline Taurua happier with the ‘hustle’ of the second test against England
* Silver Ferns takes the Taini Jamison Trophy after fighting to beat England in the second round
* Noeline Taurua: Silver Ferns was ‘too shy’ against England and took a step back
* Silver Ferns returns to the international scene with a convincing victory over England in the first Hamilton Test
Taurua said the series was a “great start,” something that every nation, which contested its 100th test on Sunday, should celebrate after the effects of a pandemic, but it is also a step towards the next summit event, the Games. of the Commonwealth of 2022 in England. city of Birmingham.
It is still uncertain what exactly 2021 will look like for netball and the Silver Ferns, but Taurua hinted that the next season could start with a series between trans-Tasmanian rivals, a clash of world champions and an Australian world top rankings. .
Taurua said the Silver Ferns team will reunite for another training camp on Friday.
“We will talk about what 2020 is like, we will prepare for 2021, with Australia’s lead, hopefully in January,” Taurua said at Sunday’s post-match press conference.
“We have to prepare as much as possible. We would love to be able to play against the Diamonds. “
Fiona Goodall / Getty Images
Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua (center) is expecting a series with Australia in January.
The Silver Ferns have not played Australia since the 2-2 series at the Constellation Cup in October 2019. Those tests were the last the Diamonds played because they were not organized for them in 2020.
New Zealand has not had the trophy since 2012, the only time it has won it since the series began in 2010, and testing in early 2021 would likely be subject to Covid-19 restrictions, although news from Australia does not report. no community case. Sunday, for the first time since June 9, improves the chances that there will be a series sooner rather than later.
The three series games with England were considered tests but did not count towards world ranking points because there were no neutral referees, Taurua said. The Silver Ferns are second behind Australia, but they will want to close that gap in 2021.
The Roses, who are third, played just two preparation matches before the series after a seven-month break from competitive netball due to Covid-19.
However, England put the Silver Ferns to the test seriously, or as Roses co-captain Serena Guthrie put it, “New Zealand could never get rid of us.” The effort of his squad and management just to play the series was excellent, given that his head coach Jess Thirlby did not travel due to a positive Covid-19 test days before traveling.
England spent two weeks in quarantine in Christchurch before flying into three tests with a New Zealand team that had played a full, albeit disruptive, national season, and prepared by beating the New Zealand men in the Cadbury Series final of the last month.
Fiona Goodall / Getty Images
The England Roses singing the national anthem before the third test in Hamilton.
Taurua was not happy after the first test, but he can be satisfied with the series.
“It’s a great start,” he said. “I think England was good. They put us under pressure and me being the coach, that’s really what I want.
It was a fitting finish for the Silver Ferns, but there are more tests with Australia on the horizon.
