Silver Ferns too strong for South Africa
July 28, 2015
The Silver Ferns turned up the heat and turned out a consistently sound performance in their 67-28 victory over the SPAR Proteas at The Trusts Arena in Auckland.
The Test Match provided the ideal opportunity for all 12 players in the Silver Ferns team to step out on court before leaving for the 14th Netball World Cup in Sydney on Monday.
In a faster, more consistent effort which built on their 24-goal first Test win over the South Africans, the New Zealanders barely missed a beat when changing personnel on court, maintaining a healthy advantage over the SPAR Proteas through all four quarters.
The Silver Ferns began with virtually the same line-up as they finished the first Test on Sunday; the only change the return of Maria Tutaia at goal attack.
Once again, the Silver Ferns began with intensity on attack in the face of a determined SPAR Proteas side, and quickly established a five-goal lead. Tutaia and goal shoot Bailey Mes patiently worked their way into a productive partnership, while at the other end of the court, the defensive pairing of Casey Kopua and Leana de Bruin were sharply focused on restricting the flow of ball into the South Africa's young shooting sensation Lenize Potgieter.
New Zealand went into the second quarter with a 15-8 lead, and immediately resumed control, adding five goals before the SPAR Proteas succeeded under the hoop again. Laura Langman, in her familiar centre role, was dynamic on both attack and defence, while wing defence Kayla Cullen cut down so many options for the South Africans, despite the concerted efforts of centre Erin Burger to connect with her shooters.
The half time score of 31-15 continued to reflect the Silver Ferns' dominance across the court, and gave coach Waimarama Taumaunu the opportunity to give new combinations court-time in the third quarter. Goal attack Jodi Brown, wing attack Shannon Francois, and a new defensive partnership of Katrina Grant and Phoenix Karaka were put to the test, and responded with conviction.
The Ferns were not afraid to let the ball go, with Francois and Brown consistently finding Mes, who was ready and willing to add to the tally. The home side's confidence grew with the score, ending the spell with a commanding 48-24 lead.
Malia Paseka made an immediate impact at goal shoot in the final quarter, standing strong in the circle and contributing 11 goals in 15 minutes dominated by the New Zealanders. In fact, an outstanding run of 13 consecutive goals by the Silver Ferns ended the match in the style they will hope to carry with them across the Tasman next week.
MVP: Laura Langman (Silver Ferns)
Quarter-by-Quarter Scores
SILVER FERNS│ Q1: 15 – Q2: 31 (16) – Q3: 48 (17) – Q4: 67 (19)
SPAR PROTEAS│ Q1: 8 – Q2: 15 (7) – Q3: 24 (9) – Q4: 28 (4)
Shooting Statistics
SILVER FERNS: 67/85 @79%
Bailey Mes: 25/32 @78%
Maria Tutaia: 15/18 @83%
Jodi Brown: 16/20 @ 80%
Malia Paseka: 11/15 @ 73%
SPAR PROTEAS: 28/42 @67%
Lenize Potgieter: 14/18 @ 78%
Maryka Holtzhausen: 11/18 @ 61%
Lindie Lombard: 3/6 @ 50%
Starting Line-ups
SILVER FERNS│ GS Bailey Mes, GA Maria Tutaia, WA Grace Rasmussen, C Laura Langman, WD Kayla Cullen, GD Leana de Bruin, GK Casey Kopua
SPAR PROTEAS│ GS Lenize Potgieter, GA Maryka Holtzhausen, WA Bongiwe Msomi, C Erin Burger, WD Precious Mthembu, GD Karla Mostert, GK Adele Niemand
Positional Changes
SILVER FERNS
Q3: GA Jodi Brown, WA Shannon Francois, GD Katrina Grant, GK Phoenix Karaka
Q4: GS Malia Paseka
SPAR PROTEAS
Q3: C Bongiwe Msomi, WA Izette Lubbe
Q4: GS Lindie Lombard, WD Karla Mostert, GD Rochelle Lawson, GK Phumza Maweni.
The Test Match provided the ideal opportunity for all 12 players in the Silver Ferns team to step out on court before leaving for the 14th Netball World Cup in Sydney on Monday.
In a faster, more consistent effort which built on their 24-goal first Test win over the South Africans, the New Zealanders barely missed a beat when changing personnel on court, maintaining a healthy advantage over the SPAR Proteas through all four quarters.
The Silver Ferns began with virtually the same line-up as they finished the first Test on Sunday; the only change the return of Maria Tutaia at goal attack.
Once again, the Silver Ferns began with intensity on attack in the face of a determined SPAR Proteas side, and quickly established a five-goal lead. Tutaia and goal shoot Bailey Mes patiently worked their way into a productive partnership, while at the other end of the court, the defensive pairing of Casey Kopua and Leana de Bruin were sharply focused on restricting the flow of ball into the South Africa's young shooting sensation Lenize Potgieter.
New Zealand went into the second quarter with a 15-8 lead, and immediately resumed control, adding five goals before the SPAR Proteas succeeded under the hoop again. Laura Langman, in her familiar centre role, was dynamic on both attack and defence, while wing defence Kayla Cullen cut down so many options for the South Africans, despite the concerted efforts of centre Erin Burger to connect with her shooters.
The half time score of 31-15 continued to reflect the Silver Ferns' dominance across the court, and gave coach Waimarama Taumaunu the opportunity to give new combinations court-time in the third quarter. Goal attack Jodi Brown, wing attack Shannon Francois, and a new defensive partnership of Katrina Grant and Phoenix Karaka were put to the test, and responded with conviction.
The Ferns were not afraid to let the ball go, with Francois and Brown consistently finding Mes, who was ready and willing to add to the tally. The home side's confidence grew with the score, ending the spell with a commanding 48-24 lead.
Malia Paseka made an immediate impact at goal shoot in the final quarter, standing strong in the circle and contributing 11 goals in 15 minutes dominated by the New Zealanders. In fact, an outstanding run of 13 consecutive goals by the Silver Ferns ended the match in the style they will hope to carry with them across the Tasman next week.
MVP: Laura Langman (Silver Ferns)
Quarter-by-Quarter Scores
SILVER FERNS│ Q1: 15 – Q2: 31 (16) – Q3: 48 (17) – Q4: 67 (19)
SPAR PROTEAS│ Q1: 8 – Q2: 15 (7) – Q3: 24 (9) – Q4: 28 (4)
Shooting Statistics
SILVER FERNS: 67/85 @79%
Bailey Mes: 25/32 @78%
Maria Tutaia: 15/18 @83%
Jodi Brown: 16/20 @ 80%
Malia Paseka: 11/15 @ 73%
SPAR PROTEAS: 28/42 @67%
Lenize Potgieter: 14/18 @ 78%
Maryka Holtzhausen: 11/18 @ 61%
Lindie Lombard: 3/6 @ 50%
Starting Line-ups
SILVER FERNS│ GS Bailey Mes, GA Maria Tutaia, WA Grace Rasmussen, C Laura Langman, WD Kayla Cullen, GD Leana de Bruin, GK Casey Kopua
SPAR PROTEAS│ GS Lenize Potgieter, GA Maryka Holtzhausen, WA Bongiwe Msomi, C Erin Burger, WD Precious Mthembu, GD Karla Mostert, GK Adele Niemand
Positional Changes
SILVER FERNS
Q3: GA Jodi Brown, WA Shannon Francois, GD Katrina Grant, GK Phoenix Karaka
Q4: GS Malia Paseka
SPAR PROTEAS
Q3: C Bongiwe Msomi, WA Izette Lubbe
Q4: GS Lindie Lombard, WD Karla Mostert, GD Rochelle Lawson, GK Phumza Maweni.