Netball: Ferns not fooled by England defeat

Silver Ferns midcourter Laura Langman is expecting to face a desperate England side when they meet on Friday. Photo / Richard Robinson

Midcourter Laura Langman has warned against complacency as New Zealand brace for a backlash from a stung England netball team.

The English were outplayed 55-44 by Australia in a one-off test in Bath today, suggesting they will also struggle against the Silver Ferns at the same venue on Friday morning (NZT).

However, Langman was having none of it soon after witnessing a test she said was much closer than the scoreline suggested.

England led by five after the first quarter but trailed by two at halftime. Their second spell performance tailed off most notably when key defender Sonia Mkoloma was off the court nursing an ankle sprain.

"I think they'll probably be disappointed with themselves but they had some really impressive patches of play," Langman said.

"Like any team, they'll want to sew all the good stuff together...and they'll come back pretty hungry for a win."

Langman pointed to recent trends in international netball where teams have been bouncing back quickly to reverse defeats.

The most stark example involved the Silver Ferns and England in New Zealand last year, where the hosts won the first and third tests by 39 points yet were somehow beaten 40-38 in a freak result at Dunedin.

That was just the third England win in 69 tests between the nations but Langman said their opponents were morphing into a consistently dangerous outfit under Australian coach Sue Hawkins.

Also, exposure to the transtasman ANZ Championship had further improved the output of players such as Mkoloma, goal keep Geva Mentor and goal shoot Pamela Cookey.

"They're definitely pushing and so is Jamaica, which is great for the game," Langman said.

"The more teams we can get pushing Australia and ourselves, the better the game will be."

England beat New Zealand 24-21 on the first day of last week's inaugural World Series FastNet tournament in Manchester.

Unbeaten through qualifying, the English lapsed on the final day as the Silver Ferns surged to the title.

Langman said while that triumph had given her team an extra spring, they were conscious of the need to quickly readjust to orthodox netball rules.

The biggest change was the length of quarters, back to 15 minutes after the six-minute experimentation of Manchester.

The intense nature of the tournament had left the players physically jaded, Langman said, with a day off in Bath yesterday appreciated by all.

Players enjoyed strolling through the city, taking in the ancient Roman baths and boutique shops, while others took a day-trip to London.

- NZPA