New Zealand’s three-match netball series against England will be decided in Manchester.
The Roses have downed the Silver Ferns 61-58 in the second test in London, levelling the series at 1-all.
In familiar circumstances, New Zealand’s downfall came after halftime. England’s victory was highlighted by a 19-13 win in the third stanza - their sixth consecutive third-quarter triumph against the Ferns.
The Silver Ferns took slim victories in the other three quarters and shot at 100% accuracy, with goal shoot Grace Nweke slotting 51 of their 58.
However, they struggled to win turnover ball and were victims of a standout performance from Liv Tchine. The Roses goal shoot only sank 38, but most of them were from wide in the circle.
Coach Yvette McCausland-Durie told Sky Sports it came down to small margins.
“Momentum, along with taking care of ball. We were just guilty at times of not doing that so well.
“I think England shot really well. They’re brilliant, they can shoot from range, and we really struggled to get ball off them. When we made an error, they made us pay for it.
“Certainly, I think the energy was there, but it was just the accuracy and the clinicalness that was required.”
Kimiora Poi started at centre while Maddy Gordon shifted to wing attack in an otherwise unchanged starting lineup. Poi combined strongly with goal attack Georgia Heffernan in the first quarter to feed Nweke along the baseline.
Wing defence Kate Heffernan picked up where she left off in game one, snatching an intercept off a soft pass from Roses skipper Fran Williams. Goal keep Kelly Jackson followed with one of her own moments later, and New Zealand found a slight edge in an otherwise dead-even first quarter, 13-12.
A miss from England goal attack Helen Housby allowed the Ferns to stretch their lead early in the second stanza. Gordon did superbly to reel in a loose ball and give the pass to Nweke whilst hurtling out of bounds.
However, the Roses picked off a rather casual centre pass from Poi to Kate Heffernan and tightened the margin to one. Tchine looked physically strong in the battle with Jackson, showcasing her ability to shoot from range, like Housby.
The England midcourt exerted plenty of defensive pressure, forcing Nweke to leave the circle to help move the ball up the court. Their efforts paid off, with Roses goal keep Jaz Brown eventually copping offensive contact from Nweke, and the hosts took the lead.
However, two England concentration lapses saw a late momentum swing in favour of New Zealand. A long feed from centre Amy Carter sailed over the top of Tchine, and Gordon picked off a first-phase intercept moments later. The Ferns won the second quarter 16-15 for a 29-27 halftime lead.
The third quarter once again proved to be England’s best. Some slick passing through the midcourt helped them level proceedings early. Jaz Brown - having made her test debut in game one - intercepted an attempted pass from Walmsley to Gordon, followed by another intercept from Carter, which saw the hosts take a two-goal lead.
England then forced New Zealand backwards on their own centre pass, and an error between Kate Heffernan and Jackson allowed them to stretch their lead to four goals. They closed out the quarter 19-13, for a 46-42 overall lead.
The Silver Ferns started the final stanza with intent. Jackson finally got the better of Tchine, forcing her to lose the ball over the baseline. Nweke converted at the other end and levelled scores at 46-all.
Nweke’s physical battle with Brown at the post raged on, with the Kiwi twice sending Brown sprawling to the floor. Gordon fired what is now a trademark long ball into Nweke with lethal accuracy to keep pressure on the hosts in front of their home fans.
England rose to the challenge, with Housby picking off an intercept and Tchine then restoring a three-goal lead. However, the goal shoot cracked moments later, missing from a metre out from the post and allowing the Ferns to tighten the gap again.
Brown then got the better of Nweke at the other end, leaving the Kiwi grappling the post to stay upright. Housby was unshakeable from depth, and suddenly the margin was three once more. Brown’s steal proved to be the decisive moment, as England held their own centre pass to secure the three-goal victory.
New Zealand won the fourth quarter 16-15, but will rue their third-quarter concentration lapses.
Nathan Limm has been a journalist with Newstalk ZB and the NZ Herald since 2020. He covered the Netball World Cup in Cape Town in 2023, hosts The Big League Podcast and commentates rugby and netball for Gold Sport.