Another mix-and-match Silver Ferns outfit have crushed Scotland 80-48 in Glasgow to sweep the series 2-0 on their Northern Tour.
It sets them up for their much tougher three-test series against England, starting on Sunday.
The victory was highlighted by a commanding 20-7 fourth-quarter blitz with a line-up of mostly junior players.
Yvette McCausland-Durie selected a more conventional line-up in the first half compared to test one. Grace Nweke returned to the goal shoot bib alongside Amelia Walmsley at goal attack, while Maddy Gordon rejoined the action at wing attack.
The Nweke-Gordon combination proved lethal. The pair only played the first two quarters, but Gordon racked up an incredible 31 feeds and Nweke 34 goals.
Gordon won Most Valuable Player (MVP) honours and told Sky Sport it was awesome having Nweke at the back.
“My game plan was just running the CPA [centre pass assist] really well, getting some good depth on that second phase and hitting circle edge.
“[Nweke] is world-class back there. She’s so dominant and makes my job very easy.”
Carys Stythe got another start at goal keep, forcing an early turnover. Nweke and Walmsley towered over their Scottish opposites but conceded two first-quarter turnovers in the circle.
The Thistles looked vastly improved from game one, both in their shooting accuracy and defensive pressure. They finished the first quarter trailing 21-15, scoring five more goals than in the opening stanza of game one.
But Gordon was lobbing in passes to Nweke from as deep as the centre third, and Scotland struggled to find an answer.
Goal defence Parris Mason and wing defence Karin Burger picked off intercepts early in the second quarter, stretching New Zealand’s lead into double digits.
Kate Heffernan also made valuable contributions both with and without the ball after swapping into centre for Kimiora Poi. The Ferns dominated the second quarter 23-12 for a 44-27 halftime lead.
Martina Salmon replaced Nweke at goal shoot in the third quarter alongside Georgia Heffernan, while Stythe and Catherine Hall combined in the defensive circle for the first time at test level.
With almost an entirely new Ferns line-up, there were a few miscommunication errors and turnovers. New Zealand conceded eight general-play turnovers in the third quarter, compared to four in the first and second.
Niamh McCall continued to be a standout for Scotland. The goal attack was reliable from range and shot confidently, despite being the shortest player in the circle.
Scotland goal defence Cerys Finn proved a pest, making circle feeds and forcing some dodgy passes between Georgia Heffernan and Salmon.
The sides were more evenly matched with New Zealand edging the third quarter 16-14, but the Ferns still held an overall 60-41 lead.
The communication breakdowns continued in the fourth quarter, with wing attack Peta Toeava throwing a wild pass out of bounds.
However, Salmon and Walmsley found more space and fluidity in the circle and the goals started to flow. New Zealand blitzed the rest of the fourth quarter 20-7.
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.
Game one report
The latest Silver Ferns debutant admits work is needed to polish their new-look combinations, with game two against the Scottish Thistles on their Northern Tour looming on Wednesday.
New Zealand secured a messy 63-41 victory in Glasgow on Monday, marking the most goals they have ever conceded to Scotland.
Carys Stythe finally got her chance in the goal-keep bib after missing out during the Taini Jamison Trophy and Constellation Cup series, putting in a respectable performance.
The 22-year-old said to play alongside a childhood hero in skipper Karin Burger was something special.
“I’m just really grateful that I got to play, especially with Karin, whom I’ve looked up to since I was a bit younger. Super, super grateful.”
Stythe said she found out during the week she would be starting and was a bundle of nerves and excitement.
“It was really cool to get out there. I’ve been here for a couple months and just watching the girls do their thing. So it’s really cool I got to join them.
“It was a very much a cobwebby, get the legs going [thing]. My legs were quite sore during that.”
Kiwi standouts Grace Nweke and Maddy Gordon were rested due to load management, meaning a chance for interim New Zealand coach Yvette McCausland-Durie to test new combinations.
With Georgia Heffernan tweaking her back at the captain’s run, Amelia Walmsley and Martina Salmon had a full run in the shooting circle.
Kimiora Poi had three quarters at centre while Parris Mason had a rare appearance at wing defence.
The Ferns were error-ridden, with passes sailing out of bounds and a few communication issues.
The Scotland shooters were also sloppy and Stythe said improving their rebounding will make a huge difference for the Ferns.
“We need to box out harder and just really get up for them. The goal shoot overcame us a couple of times, so I think that’s a key thing we can fix in defence.
“And then I think just the connection with the attack on the through-court.”
In the circle, Walmsley and Salmon swapped positions midway through and shot at 90% overall. There were a few stray passes and their connection to the midcourt was shaky at times. However, the pair will have plenty of time to hone their connection at the Stars in next year’s ANZ Premiership.
Stythe said Walmsley and Salmon are a young pairing but did well.
“I think just those errors that we can fix and then hopefully it can be a more consistent full game.”
The series comes amid a turbulent time for the Silver Ferns, with player complaints about Dame Noeline Taurua getting leaked on Friday last week.
The Stronach report – led by former New Zealand Cricket high-performance chief Bryan Stronach – was presented to Taurua following player complaints earlier in the year.
Taurua rejected the report and was stood down in September, but has since been reinstated.
Newstalk ZB’s Heather du Plessis-Allan read parts of the report on air.
She said the first problem was “fear and psychological safety”.
Reading from the report, Du Plessis-Allan said: “A strong theme was a sense of fear within the environment. Players talked about being scared to speak up, scared to make mistakes, scared to ask questions and scared to be themselves.
“The fear was not described as one-off or occasional. It has been around for a long time.
“Some shared that they don’t feel like they can give honest feedback because it won’t be received well or because it will come back on them later.
“The source of fear seems to come from a few things: inconsistent reactions from leaders, unclear expectations and a history of seeing others shut down or left out after speaking up. Some players describe feeling like they were always walking on eggshells.”
Du Plessis-Allan said issue two was “mixed messages and contradictions”, while issue three was “the weight of not feeling good enough”.
“Many players talked about a constant undertone of not being good enough. Even when feedback was meant to help, it often came across as negative or critical.
“This led to players feeling like they were always trying to avoid failure instead of reaching for their best. They described an environment where the tone can be quite intense and the feedback is more about what’s wrong than what’s working.
“Some shared that they began to second-guess everything or withdraw a bit just to stay out of the firing line.”
Continuing to read from the report, Du Plessis-Allan said issue seven was “inconsistency and shifting standards”.
“Players noticed that the behaviour and mood of the coaching and support staff can change noticeably, depending on whether the team is winning or not.
“When results are going well, the environment feels more relaxed and positive, but when the team is not performing, expectations shift suddenly and the tone becomes more intense and critical.
“There was also a sense that individual players are treated differently. Some are held accountable for small things, while others are not challenged on bigger issues. Another example was the fitness standard and how some were held accountable to it and others not.”
Du Plessis-Allan said issue nine was “commitment to high standards”.
“It was clear that the players believe in the importance of high standards. Players acknowledged they don’t always meet the standards and they want to be held accountable when that does happen.
“The concern was not about the existence of standards, but about how they are implemented and communicated. When standards feel unclear or are inconsistently applied, it undermines the purpose.”
Taurua has confirmed she has seen the report, but is adamant she has done nothing wrong.