England's narrow loss to New Zealand in the first Test of their three-match series is a clear indicator that experience plays a pivotal role in netball. The Vitality Roses team, which hadn't played since February, had been away from international competition for nine games over the past two months, giving them a distinct edge.
However, England's spirited performance on head coach Jess Thirlby's birthday was ultimately let down by small errors that cost them the win. In an evenly contested match at the Copper Box Arena in London, both teams struggled with turnovers, but New Zealand ultimately outfed their opponents and scored crucial goals to seal the victory.
Thirlby acknowledged the importance of taking responsibility for mistakes, particularly those made during centre passes, which proved costly throughout the game. The Vitality Roses coach stressed that the team must refine their skills in terms of ball placement and finishing, as well as improving their organisation on court.
Despite a number of impressive displays from debutant Jaz Brown and flying netballer Funmi Fadoju, who consistently posed New Zealand goal shooter Grace Nweke with a challenge, England's loss was ultimately down to small but crucial lapses in attention to detail. Forward duo Helen Housby and Liv Tchine worked well together, but it wasn't enough to propel the Vitality Roses to victory.
New Zealand head coach Yvette McCausland-Durie praised her team for putting up a "quality match" despite some early hiccups. She stressed that New Zealand had opportunities to settle earlier in the game, but were thwarted by England's defensive pressure.
The two teams will face each other again tomorrow, this time with forward centre pass, before heading to Manchester for the final fixture of the series on Wednesday. The Vitality Roses are keen to bounce back from their first Test defeat and put on a more polished performance in front of their home crowd.
However, England's spirited performance on head coach Jess Thirlby's birthday was ultimately let down by small errors that cost them the win. In an evenly contested match at the Copper Box Arena in London, both teams struggled with turnovers, but New Zealand ultimately outfed their opponents and scored crucial goals to seal the victory.
Thirlby acknowledged the importance of taking responsibility for mistakes, particularly those made during centre passes, which proved costly throughout the game. The Vitality Roses coach stressed that the team must refine their skills in terms of ball placement and finishing, as well as improving their organisation on court.
Despite a number of impressive displays from debutant Jaz Brown and flying netballer Funmi Fadoju, who consistently posed New Zealand goal shooter Grace Nweke with a challenge, England's loss was ultimately down to small but crucial lapses in attention to detail. Forward duo Helen Housby and Liv Tchine worked well together, but it wasn't enough to propel the Vitality Roses to victory.
New Zealand head coach Yvette McCausland-Durie praised her team for putting up a "quality match" despite some early hiccups. She stressed that New Zealand had opportunities to settle earlier in the game, but were thwarted by England's defensive pressure.
The two teams will face each other again tomorrow, this time with forward centre pass, before heading to Manchester for the final fixture of the series on Wednesday. The Vitality Roses are keen to bounce back from their first Test defeat and put on a more polished performance in front of their home crowd.
small errors cost them big time, you know? i mean, we all knew new Zealand had been practicing hard, but still, it's one thing to train and another to execute under pressure 
. vitality roses gotta take this as a learning experience and work on their centre passes, ball placement, and finishing skills 
. can't wait to see how they do tomorrow tho! 
... I mean, I'm sure the Vitality Roses will learn from their mistakes, just like we did back in '04 when England lost that epic netball match against Australia at the Olympics 
. Jess Thirlby's got some work to do, but I've got faith in her team. They'll bounce back stronger, like the Rosebowl teams of old 
. England did put up a good fight though, and I love how they're already looking to bounce back with some key tweaks 
. I'm curious to see how the Vitality Roses will adjust their game plan going forward... maybe it's time for Jess Thirlby to get creative with those centre passes 
!
... anyway, Jaz Brown did look promising as a debutant, hope she can build on that 
they played so good but those small errors cost them the game 
like whoops centre passes gone wrong? can't afford 2 make those mistakes again 
thirlby's got this tho, gonna bounce back tomorrow & show nz what they're made of 
! Stats show England's shooting percentage was 48% compared to NZ's 51% 
. But what really stood out is how turnovers affected the game – both teams had similar turnover rates, with only 13 more from NZ 
. Debutant Jaz Brown was on fire 
I mean, 9 games without competition? That's like asking someone to run a marathon without training 
. New Zealand took advantage of their lack of game time and it cost England big time.
. You can't just relax and expect to win when the other team's on fire 
.
but they just gotta step it up and put in the work if they wanna beat New Zealand 
. Bring on the next match! 
, considering England hadn't played an international game in ages! They showed great spirit and enthusiasm, especially with their debutant Jaz Brown making some incredible plays out there. But at the same time, it's like, you can see the experience gap between them and New Zealand - they just couldn't quite catch up.
. Can't wait to see what happens next!
gotta work on centre passes & finishing skills 
liv & helen were doing alright but not enough 
... Jaz Brown & Funmi Fadoju were absolute fire 
. New Zealand played well, no doubt about it 
... Yvette's praises were justified 
! Can we get that W, Vitality Roses? 
fun to watch! anyway, i'm def rooting for england to bounce back tomorrow