By JULIE ASH
A little more discipline mixed with a bit more flair is what Silver Fern coach Ruth Aitken is asking from her team in tonight's third and final test against England in Auckland.
The Silver Ferns clinched the series in Wellington on Wednesday night, backing up their 61-45 win in
the opening test with a 55-35 victory.
In both matches the Silver Ferns have showed flashes of brilliance.
But there have also been times when players have been out of sync and passes have gone astray - areas that Aitken would like to see ironed out before the world championships in Jamaica in less than a month.
"We want that complete performance in each quarter," she said. "We want to build on the things that worked well, and tidy up in a few areas.
"We want disciplined flair, which seems a contradiction in terms.
"But there are times when the flair is great, but unless it is surrounded by some good structure it can get a bit sloppy."
Although the series has been one-sided, Aitken is confident it has provided her team with a good build-up to the world championships.
"It certainly hasn't been a walk in the park," she said. "And it has given us plenty to work on."
A former Silver Fern, Sandra Edge, said the signs for the world championships were "really encouraging."
"Maybe I'm just an optimist, but I think they look really balanced."
For the English the score reflected little improvement from the first match.
England shooter Alex Astle said it all came back to consistency.
"I think there were patches in the second test that were better than the first. It is just putting it all together," Astle said. "We didn't come out here expecting to lose by 20. So it has been disappointing."
The third and final test starts at the North Shore Events Centre tonight at 7.45.
