Catch up on the first part of Phase Two of the Pool Stages here:
New Zealand v Jamaica: 48 to 59
The Silver Ferns and the Sunshine Girls faced off in one of two matches to shape how the semi finals will play out.
The Sunshine Girls jumped out to a great start, as Jhaniele Fowler outplayed Jane Watson early. Fowler's 12 goals were more than the Silver Ferns managed in the first stanza. The biggest issue they faced was turnover ball, as the Silver Ferns coughed up six turnovers in the first quarter, and Jamaica capitalised, with four goals from Silver Ferns' possessions.
Jhaniele Fowler (Captain) of Jamaica and Jane Watson of New Zealand during the Netball World Cup 2023, Pool G match between Jamaica and New Zealand. (Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images/Netball World Cup 2023)
For the Ferns, Kate Heffernan was the player applying the most pressure, which reflects both the way the Silver Ferns were playing, and the relative strength of the Jamaican circles. Heffernan fought hard, dragging in four gains, more than any other Fern, but the Ferns continue to look stunted at times.
The Silver Ferns have persisted with playing Kelly Jury at wing defence for much of this World Cup, despite it not being her natural position. While wing defence is a position notorious for not being visible on the stat sheet, Jury registered no deflections and no gains yesterday, while also providing limited attacking support, with just three centre pass receives.
By comparison, Latanya Wilson, who played the same position for Jamaica, had four deflections, one gain, and ten centre pass receives, providing more for the Sunshine Girls on both ends.
One concern for the Sunshine Girls will be the health of Shamera Sterling, who tweaked an ankle, but returned to court for more than a quarter later on.
For the Silver Ferns, they have to look at the positives from the second and third quarters, where they held the Jamaican attack at bay and won the timeframe. During those periods, New Zealand played exceptionally clean netball, with just nine contact penalties and seven obstruction penalties. Jamaica had 40 penalties in the same period, for comparison.
New Zealand will now hope to repeat that performance over four quarters as they go up against their semi final opponents, who have shown that they can score at will.
On the flipside, Jamaica will look to carry their was form in the semi finals, after doubling the Silver Ferns score in the final stanza. It was a superb effort to finish, converting all centre passes and unforced turnovers into goals to blow away any hope of a Silver Ferns comeback.
Australia v England: 55 to 56
The Diamonds are now faced with the task of fighting back after a loss in the pool stages, that now lines them up with the undefeated Jamaica. It was a tight loss for Australia, who fumbled a large lead in the third quarter to trail in the dying minutes of the match.
It was the defensive pressure of Funmi Fadoju and Fran Williams that was enough to see the Diamonds' attacking flow disappear. Despite the pressure from the young English duo, Stacey Marinkovich didn't bring Sophie Garbin onto court, leaving the tournament's leading shooter on the bench for the full 60 minutes.
Francesca Williams of England during the Netball World Cup 2023, Pool F match between Australia and England. (Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images/Netball World Cup 2023)
It was shades of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, where Marinkovich kept Cara Koenen and Gretel Bueta's combination under wraps until the final, where it was unleashed with great effectiveness.
Ash Brazill was another player to play the full match, while not at her best. Her first half on Natalie Metcalf was strong, but Chelsea Pitman troubled her in the late stages of the match, and she didn't get her hand to ball enough to slow the English comeback.
Helen Housby of England and Ash Brazill of Australia during the Netball World Cup 2023, Pool F match between Australia and England. (Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images/Netball World Cup 2023)
It was the power of Eleanor Cardwell and Helen Housby that carried home the Roses, as both players took advantage of their knowledge of the Super Netball defenders. Their accuracy was also a point of difference, with Cardwell missing one shot, and Housby's shooting was flawless, while the Diamonds only shot at 90 per cent accuracy.
In a match that came down to the wire, the difference in accuracy would have stung, although Garbin's shooting has not been any more accurate than the shooters who did take the court for the Diamonds.
The loss is the first time that the Diamonds have lost to the Roses in the World Cup, although they did lose a pool match at the Commonwealth Games last year before going on to win the gold medal.
Best of the Rest
In addition to the top four facing off, there were still four other games on Day Seven. South Africa was faced with an almost impossible task - beating Uganda (ranked 6th) by 60+ goals. For reference, their biggest margin thus far in the NWC is 55 goals, against Sri Lanka (ranked 15th). Whilst the home team won't make the finals, they have a shot at fifth place.
Scotland and Wales both won with comfortable leads, whilst Tonga tried to get one over Malawi in their 51-56 game. Despite their wins, Scotland and Wales will not make the playoffs, but will compete for ninth place.