Wales provide sterner resistance
The Silver Ferns overcame a sluggish first half showing to complete their Northern tour with a 72-39 victory over Wales.
After being hammered by 65 goals in the opening test, Wales proved more competitive in the first half in Cardiff yesterday.
Wales only trailed 31-21 at halftime, but the floodgates opened in the second half as the fitness, experience and class of the Silver Ferns shone through.
New Zealand racked up 92 goals against Wales a day earlier, but the hosts played with greater accuracy and commitment. They restricted New Zealand to 20 less goals and defended well as a unit for large parts of the match.
The Silver Ferns produced an inconsistent first half where they were well below their best.
New Zealand coach Janine Southby saluted the improvement from Wales and said they provided a tough test early on.
‘‘Credit to Wales, they’d learned from last night and they came at us really hard.’’
Southby said back-to-back matches over consecutive days tested the inexperienced players in her side.
‘‘You have to bring it whenever you go out there. Unfortunately, some tired bodies – the end of a long tour and there’s some work
for us to go away and think about it.’’
New Zealand mixed up their starting lineup, partnering Te Paea Selby-Rickit, who scored 40 goals the previous night, with
Maia Wilson in the shooting end.
Skipper Katrina Grant made a rare appearance in the wing defence bib, alongside Shannon Francois and Grace Rasmussen in the midcourt.
Youngster Kelly Jury earned her second consecutive start at goal keep in the defensive circle, lining up with 88-cap veteran Anna Harrison.
World No 8 Wales went goal for goal early on with the Silver Ferns and midway through the first quarter were level at 7-7.
Wilson slotted the first nine goals for New Zealand, receiving some accurate ball right where she wanted it under the hoop.
The Silver Ferns would have disappointed with their through court defensive pressure with Wales allowed too much freedom to fire the ball into their shooters.
New Zealand feasted off Welsh turnovers in the opening test, but weren’t able to generate as many defensive gains during the first half.
It was only just before halftime that New Zealand finally started to assert their authority, scoring five straight goals.
Selby-Rickit continued on from where she left off in the first match with some assured shooting in the attacking end.
For a position that was once a concern, New Zealand are starting to create depth in the shooting circle.