Silver Ferns overcome stomach bug, Noeline Taurua saga for momentous series win over England

Thursday, 20 November 2025

At AO Arena, Manchester: Silver Ferns 55 (Grace Nweke: 43/48, Georgia Heffernan: 12/15) England 49 (Helen Housby: 25/28, Liv Tchine: 13/16, Sasha Glasgow: 6/7, Lois Pearson: 5/8) 1Q: 11-14, HT: 27-25, 3Q: 42-38.

Not much can break the Silver Ferns.

The Ferns closed out the most chaotic year in New Zealand netball history with a momentous 55-49 victory over England in a gripping series decider in Manchester on Thursday (NZ time).

With a victory apiece in the first two matches, everything was on the line at the AO Arena. The Ferns stood tall in a polished second half to silence a passionate home crowd and secure a memorable 2-1 series win.

Loud roars rang out from the Ferns’ players as they embraced on court at fulltime.

The Silver Ferns’ task was not made any easier, having to overcome a gastro bug which swept through the team in the days before the game. Interim coach Yvette McCausland-Durie said post-game: “As soon as we finished the last game, we had a number of them going both ends. We’ve just got them back right this morning.

“We thought, ‘if we can hold in there for one more game’. I’m incredibly proud of them.”

Captain Karin Burger noted it hit the team after dinner following Monday’s (NZT) 61-58 loss in London. At times she wondered whether the Ferns would be able to field a healthy game-day 12 in Manchester, but said team doctor Sharon Kearney did a stellar job supporting them.

“At first we thought it might have been a dinner thing, but it definitely wasn’t that. It turned out to be a bug because everybody had it at a different level,” Burger said.

“Some lucky ones didn’t have it at all, but a big part of this group did unfortunately.”

The Ferns’ starting seven were so effective they played the full 60 minutes, an impressive effort considering most had been floored by the bug.

“It just speaks to this group’s tenacity to still put out a performance like that coming off a couple of days of not feeling our best,” Burger said.

This was the Silver Ferns’ 12th and final test for 2025, completing a turbulent time for the sport in New Zealand.

It has been a highly challenging and mentally-draining time for the players with Netball New Zealand’s (NNZ) decision to stand down decorated coach Dame Noeline Taurua rocking the game and dividing the netball community. Taurua was eventually reinstated by NNZ and will officially take the reins next year having remained in New Zealand for the Northern tour to minimise disruption for the playing group.

Taurua would have been smiling proudly watching the team on television from back in the Bay of Plenty.

This was a gutsy victory to close out the year and puts the Ferns in a positive frame of mind heading into 2026 and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Kelly Jackson took over in the final quarter, grabbing a intercept and rebound early in the term. Grace Nweke was also dominant in the shooting circle, landing pressure goal after pressure goal. Nweke shot 12 from 13 in the final quarter, finishing with 43 from 48 for the game.

Maddy Gordon was again immense at centre, making an impact on both attack and defence. Kate Heffernan continued her excellent series at wing defence, arguably being the player of the series. Her identical twin sister Georgia took hold of the starting goal attack bib, landing 12 from 15 and producing 16 goal assists.

Entering the final quarter, the Ferns were in the box seat, holding a 42-38 lead. New Zealand pushed out to a 50-44 advantage and never gave the Roses a sniff from there, leading by nine late in the game.

New Zealand took a 27-25 lead into halftime with their third quarter blues against England again briefly resurfacing. England surged ahead 37-34, but the Ferns refused to go away.

An emphatic finish to the third quarter saw the Ferns go into the final 15 minutes with a crucial four-goal buffer (42-38).

New Zealand recovered from a sloppy beginning to jump out to a 7-4 lead, but by the end of the first quarter England had pushed ahead 14-11.

The Ferns lifted their defensive intensity in the second quarter and started to cash in from England mistakes.

Having outscored England 16-11 in an impressive second term, the Ferns went into halftime with a slim 27-25 advantage.

It was anyone’s game heading into the final quarter, but the Ferns took control of the contest for an emotionally-charged victory.

With Taurua retaking control of the team in 2026, the Ferns’ players head for a deserved summer break in high spirits and things finally looking up.