Netball World Cup
Roses ready for global glory
‘One of the best forward pairings I have seen recently in an England squad’
Ifeel like England are on fire in this World Cup. Nothing can stop them. I thought it would come down to the wire in their final group match against South Africa, but England just blew away the Proteas in the first quarter. Although England lost the last
quarter of the match – their first quarter defeat of the tournament – that will not be playing on their minds heading into the semi-final against New Zealand today.
There is also less time in a major tournament for team analysis than during a Test series because of the tight turnaround with games.
The Vitality Roses have dispatched Jamaica and South Africa – ranked second and fifth in the world respectively – in Liverpool this week. On that basis, I think they are unstoppable.
New Zealand, however, are cut from a different cloth. Four members of their squad have more than 100 caps, so they have experience on their side. They might be down by 10 in a quarter and then all of a sudden they are level, winning possession and converting it at the other end.
You would expect New Zealand to be slightly more fatigued than England heading into this semifinal, given their pulsating 50-49 defeat by Australia in their last group game. The amount of passes New Zealand had to string together before getting the ball anywhere near the goal will have taken its toll. In their domestic league, New Zealand’s players tend to employ zone-type marking and they would not have been accustomed to Australia’s hard, on-the-body defensive pressure, which they withstood well.
England, on the other hand, will be fresher and that hands them a slight edge. I think they expected their game against South Africa to be a lot harder, but Tracey Neville did not need her starting seven on the court the whole time, and, in terms of energy conservation, that was an added bonus.
That is why I am going to predict an England win by six goals, but it will be far from easy.
New Zealand’s squad are packed with veteran stars. Following her return to the international stage after initially calling time on the court in 2017, Casey Kopua has been a key pillar and has looked in the form of her life at goal defence throughout the tournament.
She loves getting under other people’s skin and she will be an intriguing match-up with England’s Helen Housby at goal attack. Helen has been guilty of going missing in games at times, but she has not done that yet here. It will be interesting to see how she reacts under the experience and pressure of 34-year-old Casey.
At the other end, Maria Folau is on form and if she can land her trademark long-range shots, she will be hard for England to handle.
In the mid-court, the New Zealand captain, Laura Langman, will be a great defensive match for Serena Guthrie, who has been England’s standout player. The England captain has dominated nearly all centres she has played against in Liverpool, but Laura does not take any messing about. The whole game could hinge on that centre-stage battle.
But England have weapons of their own. Everyone is talking about H2 – the formidable shooting partnership between Helen Housby and Jo Harten. This is one of the best attacking combinations I have seen in an England squad in recent memory. They consistently perform and step up when it matters. Their style of play is so exciting to watch and differs from the likes of Australia and Jamaica, who rely on a go-to, tall linchpin shooter.
It is not just Helen and Jo’s speed, but also their intuition, which has stemmed from playing with each other for so long. Their movement mirrors the speed of the ball and they almost instinctively know where Chelsea Pitman or Serena will be around the shooting circle.
At goal shooter, Jo is always thinking two or three passes ahead. If she receives the ball outside the circle, she is aware that Serena or Chelsea is going to be advancing into the pockets, ready to feed into the danger area, while also anticipating that Helen will be driving along the baseline.
When shooters occasionally have a bit of a shaky period, they will be taken off. But Helen and Jo are afforded the luxury of working their way out of sticky spots and that is what is standing them in good stead now.
I am supposed to be commentating live on either the semi-final or final, but I am not sure if I’ll be able to. In New Zealand’s game against Australia, I was screaming off-air and I know people at home do not want to hear that. The atmosphere with home support for England at the M&S Bank Arena has been incredible throughout this tournament. I hope netball is coming home.