Anna Stembridge’s side struggled with the height of shooter Grace Nweke and New Zealand’s early speed, sending the Roses to a bronze-medal match against an opponent yet to be decided.
How England Fought Through to the Semi-Finals Against South Africa
England reached the semi-finals only after staging a dramatic comeback in their final pool match, defeating South Africa 58-54. Anna Stembridge’s side entered that game under intense pressure knowing defeat would mean them failing to reach the last four of the competition for the first time since netball was introduced to the Games in 1998. The team was reeling from a thumping 66-47 defeat by Australia in their second Group A match, which left their qualification hopes hanging by a thread. They also faced South Africa as slight underdogs following a bruising three-match series loss in January.
The early stages of the South Africa encounter brought immediate turbulence. England struggled to contain the towering South African goal shooter Elmerè van der Berg, who dominated the shooting circle in the opening quarter. Compounding the trouble, centre Imogen Allison hobbled off with an ankle injury early in the second period.
Yet the Roses turned the fixture around by tightening their defensive structure and leaning into their collective composure. The introduction of goal defence Halimat Adio in the third quarter shifted the momentum by shackling Van der Berg superbly, while Lois Pearson delivered a flawless shooting performance, finishing with 17 goals from 17 shots to secure a 43-39 advantage and seal the 58-54 victory.
Anna Stembridge, England coach, stated that the girls had leaned into that pressure and truly trusted one another, adding that they did not catastrophise the first quarter, knew they had more to give, and were simply delighted to have given enough to get themselves into a semi-final.
New Zealand’s Speed and Grace Nweke Pose Too Much for the Roses
The semi-final showdown presented an entirely different magnitude of challenge. New Zealand started the match passing the ball with great speed and accuracy early on, quickly establishing a rhythm that tested England’s defensive lines. Although goal shooter Liv Tchine temporarily settled English nerves by drawing the match level at 3-3, the Silver Ferns soon exploited their height advantage through dominant shooter Grace Nweke.
New Zealand hit double figures with just eight minutes played, taking a commanding 16-11 lead by the end of the first quarter. Stembridge responded by bringing on Eleanor Cardwell in place of Tchine towards the end of that opening period, a substitution that injected fresh energy and helped the Roses narrow the gap to 25-21 in the second quarter. Nweke missed just one shot before half-time—scoring 23 goals from 23 attempts before that single miss—allowing the two-time tournament winners to hold a 29-24 lead at the break.
The Bronze-Medal Match Awaits Following the Semi-Final Exit
Despite flashes of strong defensive pressure from England in the second half, the team struggled with consistency when turning possession into goals. The Silver Ferns steadily stretched their advantage to nine points with 15 minutes left on the clock. Although the Roses fought hard in the closing minutes to narrow the final deficit to seven points, the damage was done by the time the Roses fought to close the gap.
The defeat ends England’s aspirations of emulating their gold-medal victory from the 2018 Commonwealth Games. New Zealand advances to the tournament final to face either Australia or Jamaica on Sunday, marking the Silver Ferns’ first appearance in a gold-medal match since 2014 and keeping alive their hunt for a title they have not claimed since the 2010 Games. England must quickly regroup to face the bronze-medal match scheduled for Sunday at 09:00 BST.
