The semifinal match-ups in the Netball World Cup will be all-but confirmed by the end of today's play. But, in yet another quirk of the new draw, the teams will each play another two essentially meaningless games before they get there.
The top four nations will face-off in tonight's roundqualification matches in what will be a preview of the finals action.
After topping pool A, New Zealand will take on world number four Jamaica, before England does battle with hosts and defending champions Australia. The results will likely determine the semifinal match-ups, with the remaining teams in the top eight - Malawi, South Africa, Wales and Uganda - not expected to challenge the heavyweight sides.
The Silver Ferns will meet Malawi tomorrow and Uganda, the surprise packages of the Sydney tournament, on Friday following their rest day before the knockout stages of the competition begin on Saturday.
The two games will give the Ferns the opportunity to rest some players and rotate a couple of different lines ahead of what will be a testing weekend for them. To win the title New Zealand will need beat England and Australia on consecutive days - in which order will be determined tonight.
The presence of three African teams in the top eight will be a massive boost for the region after a concentrated effort by the international netball federation (INF) to help speed along the game's development there.
While the way the draw was structured virtually guaranteed Malawi and South Africa would be in the top eight, Uganda, who are appearing in their first World Cup since 1979, were a real surprise. After demolishing Zambia and the eighth-ranked Fiji on day two of the tournament, Uganda suffered their first loss of the tournament last night, narrowly going down to Wales 49-47.
NETBALL WORLD CUP FIXTURES
DAY 5 - Round qualification matches
Top 8 2.20pm South Africa 68, Wales 40 4.20pm Malawi v Uganda 8.20pm New Zealand v Jamaica 10.20pm Australia v England
