If England needed any reminder of the gap that exists at the top of the netball world, they were served a ruthless reminder by New Zealand in the Commonwealth Games semi-final.
The Silver Ferns brushed past the Roses 61-54 in Glasgow to book a first Commonwealth Games final since 2014 in emphatic fashion, as England’s chances of regaining the title they won in 2018 came to an end.
It was a scoreline that flattered an embattled England, who only briefly looked like being able to truly challenge after a fast start from New Zealand.
England threw away their very first centre pass and it set the tone for the contest in which the Roses were always chasing and were let down by their own errors.
Anna Stembridge’s side fought their way back to within four nearing half time but were then subjected to another New Zealand blitz at the start of the third quarter that effectively won the match.
The score quickly blew out to a double-figure deficit at one stage, and it could easily have stayed that way had New Zealand not taken their foot off the gas in the final quarter.
Defeat to the world’s No.2 side was a fair reflection of where this England side sit in the global pecking order, with New Zealand and gold medal favourites Australia still a cut above the rest. The Diamonds look to be on another level altogether in Glasgow.
Closing that gap has been the perennial challenge for England, but attention first turn to Sunday morning’s bronze medal match, where the Roses will seek to avoid a repeat of the fourth-place finish they endured four years ago.
“I don’t want that feeling again,” said goal shooter Eleanor Cardwell, “Going through this four years ago will definitely add extra fuel to the fire. We really want to come away with a medal.
“Obviously bronze isn’t what we came here for, but it’s what we’re fighting for now.”
In the cold hard light of day, a bronze medal would represent success for the Roses given the six months they endured in preparation for Glasgow 2026.
The netball world was rocked by the resignation of head coach Jess Thirlby in March, with assistant Stembridge stepping into the breach just four months out from netball’s pinnacle event.
Star player Helen Housby was then ruled out with injury in June, before Beth Cobden and Nat Metcalf were later also sidelined. All three were part of squad that won the historic gold in 2018 and boasted 258 caps between them.
The pre-tournament concern was that England would not even reach the semi-finals and crash out at the pool stage for the first time since the sport was introduced to the Commonwealth Games in 1998.
That alternative apocalypse was avoided with a 58-54 victory over an exciting South Africa side, but New Zealand was always going to pose a far sterner test.
The Silver Ferns are wily operators and have parked their own off-court problems to win all five pool matches before outclassing England.
Kiwi head coach Dame Noeline Taurua was suspended by Netball New Zealand in September 2025 after allegations of bullying but was reinstated in October after significant support from some players.
Taurua is known to be a tough taskmaster and had her side perfectly drilled against the Roses, with the Silver Ferns’ lack of errors and clinical shooting the key differences on Saturday morning.
England opted for the same defence that had changed the game against South Africa, with London Pulse pair Halimat Adio and Funmi Fadoju in from the start but they were unable to shackle Grace Nweke.
It was not just them, as all England options struggled to stop her or the regular flow of feeds serving her while the Roses found it tough to score freely at the other end.
There will be plenty of time for reflection after Sunday as England work out where to go next with a World Cup less than a year away, but the Roses must first focus on battling for a bronze that they surely would have taken before arriving in Glasgow.
“There’s still a chance to win a medal and that’s an exciting opportunity,” said Stembridge. “We do not want to leave here without a medal. This team has shown such resilience through so many curveballs, even before the tournament.
“We’ll look at what we can take forward from today, what’s worked really well for us and what’s served us well. Then we’ll look at the points of difference of the opposition we’re going to face.
“We’ll make sure we’re fully prepared and throw everything at it tomorrow.”
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