England’s netball stars are storming their way through the Netball World Cup in Liverpool, having secured their spot in the Semi-Final.
England will play New Zealand in the semi-finals of the Vitality Netball World Cup after beating South Africa 58-47 in their final preliminary match last night.
Having already sealed their spot in the last four with victory over Trinidad & Tobago, The Roses emerged top of Group G with an unbeaten run of six wins in six games.
Tracey Neville’s side will face the 2015 World Cup silver medallists New Zealand after the silver ferns were narrowly beaten 50-49 by 11-times champions Australia to finish as runners-up in Group F.
Looking ahead to Saturday's semi-tie, England Goal Keeper Geva Mentor is expecting a tough clash against a New Zealand side galvanized by the appointment of Head Coach Noeline Taurua last year.
“It’s definitely a different outfit the Silver Ferns that we’ll be coming up against,” said Mentor.
“They’re looking really lean, they’re looking really fit and I think Noeline's definitely done a good job with them and they had a tough battle against the Aussies today and really pushed them.
“We’re expecting it’s going to be a really good contest out there and I think it’s important that we stick to our game plan and adapt as quickly as we can and make sure we put out a solid performance again.”
It was a spirited performance by the Roses in Liverpool last night against South Africa, just showing the world what they are capable of as they head in to the last four of the competition.
By the end of the first quarter England had raced into a commanding eight-point lead with Jo Harten netting all nine of her attempts at goal.
A comfortable second quarter saw a half time lead of 31-20 to the 2018 Commonwealth champions, who maintained their strong lead in the back end of the game, finishing up with a 58-47 win in front of a passionate home crowd.