England lose netball World Cup final due to third quarter collapse

Geva Mentor and her teammates couldn't stop the Australian juggernaut. Credit: Getty Images/Shaun Roy

England's hopes of victory The first World Netball Championship was smashed in Cape Town after they fell far behind Australian heavyweights who put on a convincing performance to win their 12th title.

The Roses have never competed in a World Cup final and have created their own piece of history as the first side other than Australia and New Zealand to take part in a showcase sporting event.

England started with positive intentions and kept within touching distance of the Diamonds, but in a hectic third quarter, often referred to as the Championship Quarter because matches are won and lost, they collapsed as Australia set an irresistible advantage of 10 goals.

England, who regained a nine-ball lead in a rare win over Australia in the pool stages, showed aura and faith throughout their World Cup campaign and were asked to back up their high form with a gold medal.

But with Australia leading 46-36 going into the final quarter, recovering from a double-digit deficit would always be too far for Jess Thirlby's determined team, who were forced to settle for silver. .

Feeling of victory 😍

Australia bids for the TWELVE Netball World Cup 🏆#NWC2023 | @AussieDiamonds pic.twitter.com/VLGswMP6Sm

— World Netball (@WorldNetball_) August 6, 2023

“We are clearly upset by such a losing lead in our first final, but such is the difference between seasoned finalists and a team in their first final,” Thirlby said.

“Thursday's win, we hit one of our biggest numbers in history against Australia and yet won with just one, so we didn't settle for that. Today will always be a difficult question, you just can't throw the ball against Australia in the final like that. If we do, we need to find a way to get him back. Unfortunately, both of these things eluded us for a long time during the match.”

Netball is a game with a lot of momentum, where losses are celebrated more loudly than goals, and England suffered an early blow when they unexpectedly lost the ball in play. the first game of the match with their own center pass.

This prompted Thirlby to make an early substitution, switching Fran Williams to Layla Gascot to shore up the defense. This change was a tactical masterstroke that worked in England's favour, but it actually masked cracks in Rose's sometimes static play.

Williams, one of the tournament's standouts, helped England weather an early storm as they returned to a busy 13-goal first quarter.

England have never made a mistake in the entire tournament, losing only one quarter in seven matches. They picked up their first victory over top-ranked Australia for the first time in 13 attempts at the pool stage tournament before knocking out defending champions New Zealand in the blockbuster semi-finals to advance to the final.

Australia proved too strong for England in the final. Photo: AP/Halden Krog

But in the midst of a major finale, they at times looked overwhelmed by the event. They continued to rise in the second quarter, but for all the aura and faith they showed, Australia remained calm and continued their game with high ball possession and used their World Cup final experience to their advantage.

Their head coach, Stacey Marinkovic, started messing with her team in response to Williams' introduction, and the 11-time world champions stopped England's attacking tide.

That meant England had to dig deep into a furious third quarter, but instead they capitulated when Australia found their way and cut the Rose with eight goals they kept stretching.

The best team in the world was on the verge of victory when Sarah Klaue, the mainstay of the Australian defense, entered the fray, and from that moment the game began to elude England, who had to be content with silver.

England is a team that constantly reaches the semi-finals of major tournaments. They have won bronze in the last three World Netball Championships and have never moved forward in the sport, so it was a significant improvement over their previous performances.

«We've talked a lot about this being a first time [Team Rose in the final],» said England's Imogen Ellison. “To be honest, I am very proud of all of us. We have to take it and run with it. If it's the first time in the final, next time we'll get the gold.»