Netball: Willering rings changes in easy victory

By RICHARD BOOCK

The Silver Ferns retained their stranglehold on the Tri-Nations championship last night after overwhelming South Africa 74-37 in Canberra.

In a performance which lacked the cohesion or flow of the first game in Melbourne, New Zealand posted their expected win over the competition underdogs to move to the top of the points table with two matches remaining.

Australia will almost certainly join them after playing the Republic in Canberra tonight, and if everything goes as expected, will then need to beat New Zealand by 16 goals or more on Saturday to win the championship title on goal-difference.

New Zealand showed few signs of faltering last night, despite the slight loss of shape through the attacking third, and had the added bonus of being able to play their entire squad, as well as having the chance to rest some key players.

Unable to storm away to the sort of start they managed in Melbourne last weekend, the Ferns nonetheless stamped their mark on the match from the outset, leading 18-9 at the first quarter break, and 35-18 at the halfway mark.

Coach Yvonne Willering sized the opportunity for all it was worth, starting Irene van Dyk and Donna Loffhagen in the shooting circle, Jenny-May Coffin, Temepara George and Lesley Nicol through the midcourt, and Bernice Mene and Vilimaina Davu in the defensive circle.

She then rang a raft of changes at halftime, shuffling the entire line-up except for George, and providing Vic Edward with her first test cap, as well as introducing Belinda Colling, Adine Harper, Sheryl Clarke and Linda Vagana into the game.

The changes also provided her with the chance to rest pivotal players van Dyk, Nicol and Mene.

Although always in command, New Zealand struggled to recapture the accuracy on the edge of the feeding circle at first, and it was noticeable that when Harper came on at wing-attack the supply lines were markedly improved.

On the same night that the New Zealand under-21s scored a rare 62-58 over their Australian counterparts in the curtainraiser, South Africa put up a much stronger effort than in the Tri-Nations opener, when they were smashed 24-70 by an Australian side who were struggling for form.

Coach Jane Searle received far better value from shooters Shani Welthagen and Elsje Jordaan, and the initial defensive pairing of Desmarie Kotze and Leana Du Plooy proved a good test for the New Zealand shooters and feeders.

New Zealand's next game is against South Africa in Sydney on Friday night.

New Zealand 74 (Donna Loffhagen 40, Irene Van Dyk 23, Belinda Colling 11) South Africa 37.