The Silver Ferns will play in England as part of their build-up to the 2007 world netball championship.
High-performance manager Tracey Fear said yesterday that the England tour would help to ensure the Ferns had the best possible build-up for their world title defence.
New Zealand won the
title in Jamaica in 2003.
"With the tour to England this year cancelled, this replacement series will now be the only opportunity to play a team currently placed in the top four international teams prior to the world champs," Fear said.
"It's crucial for the Silver Ferns to face the best possible international competition."
They will look to play England, England A, and other teams may be added to their schedule. Dates and venues are to be confirmed.
The scheduling of the series, to fit with England's availability, will affect the 2007 National Bank Cup, with Netball NZ working with teams to minimise the impact.
Rather than withdrawing the Silver Ferns from their franchise teams for the tour, the competition will take a break for two weekends in May.
Rounds one to five will be played from April 5. Six and seven will move to May 25-27 and June 1-3 respectively.
The semifinals and final will follow on the current format, the final on June 22.
* Netball Australia has refused to speculate on whether it could host the world championships after organisers announced they may shift the event from Fiji after this week's coup.
Netball Australia said it had been notified that the International Federation of Netball Associations would be "reviewing the current arrangements" amid the instability.
Australia could be favoured by the IFNA given they have not hosted the championship since 1991, while New Zealand, England and Jamaica have all held them once each since 1995.
Another option could be South Africa, who have not held the tournament.
- NZPA
