Silver Ferns made to work
Two games, two wins.
That’s what the Silver Ferns would have wanted to start Janine Southby’s tenure as coach, and that’s what they’ve got, after beating South Africa 65-46 in Hamilton last night in their second game of the Quad Series.
But when put as simply as that, their record doesn’t show that the two wins followed performances vastly different in their nature.
Against England on Saturday the Ferns were in total control as they racked up a 26-goal margin, but against South Africa this time around, they were off the boil for long stretches, before easing away towards the end.
In 27 previous matches between the two sides, South Africa had only won once – at the 1995 world championships – and while they couldn’t manage another this time around, they came closer than they usually do, with the 19-goal margin a vast improvement on the 39-goal defeat they suffered in Auckland last July.
After having been left out of the Ferns’ starting seven against England on the weekend after taking ill in the buildup, Grace Rasmussen returned at wing attack, with Shannon Francois moving back to centre, Laura Langman to wing defence, and Kayla Cullen shifting to the bench.
The rearranged midcourt was disjointed in the first quarter, with each of them making several errors as they tried to press forward, both on attack and on defence.
As a result, they were never able to give shooters Bailey Mes and Ameliaranne Ekenasio the service they would have liked.
The Proteas were a model of composure in contrast, not afraid to pass backwards if that was the best way to find a clear path towards goal, and they opened up a three-goal lead midway through the quarter, that shrunk slightly to be two at its end.
Southby rang the changes at that point, bringing on Jane Watson to replace Phoenix Karaka at goal keep, and Cullen at wing defence, with Langman moving forward to replace Francois at centre.
Pushing Langman up court seemed to stabilise things somewhat, as the Ferns brought the scores level five minutes into the spell, though the occasional basic error still crept in, such as when Langman threw a centre pass straight into the hands of her South African marker who was standing just a metre away.
That turnover allowed the visitors to open up a small lead again, but the Ferns’ defence, led by captain Katrina Grant, stood strong, winning some turnovers of their own that helped them take their first lead, 24-23, with six minutes to go before the break.
From that point, the Ferns never looked back, quickly opening up a five-goal lead by halftime, the largest of either side at that point. only
Having taken the lead, they were determined not to let the Proteas back in the game, and at the end of a hard-fought third quarter, they had grown their advantage to eight.
At that stage, an upset was off the table, and the Ferns were able to run up the score, winning the final quarter 19-8 and eventually finishing with a 19-goal lead.
With two wins from two under their belt, the Ferns now head to Melbourne, where Australia lie in wait on Sunday.