NZ netballers to play for gold in Glasgow
Bouncing back from adversity, New Zealand have advanced to their first Commonwealth Games gold medal netball match in 12 years after posting a well-executed 61-54 semi-final win over England in the 2026 Glasgow edition.
in front of a vocal and parochial England crowd, the New Zealanders absorbed a strong second quarter response from their opponents, denying them any opportunity to make inroads before stepping up in the third and into a position of control.
With a 96 percent conversion rate, England proved the more accurate under the hoop but New Zealand enjoyed a greater share of the possession with 10 more shots at goal and with the towering figure of shooter Grace Nweke able to reel in any misses, the women in black held the upper hand.
New Zealand beat England to win the 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medal and will now face the winner of the Australia vs Jamaica clash (played overnight) at 12am (Monday, NZT) for a shot at gold.
``I’m stoked, everyone stepped up and did their job really well from the get-go,’’ New Zealand vice-captain Kate Heffernan said. ``We talked about how important it was to get on top of England early and I think we did that really well.
``We were nervous, it’s a massive game playing in a Commonwealth Games semi-final and it was about turning those nerves into something amazing out and there and we did that. I’m just so proud of the group.’’
New Zealand received positive news ahead of the match with goal attack Georgia Heffernan coming back from an ankle knock to take her place in the starting line-up – following the devastating confirmation of losing talented defender Catherine Hall to a ruptured knee ligament and facing a lengthy recovery ahead.
That consigned New Zealand to 11 players for the rest of the tournament with rules not allowing for injured players to be replaced.
A flurry of turnovers both ways highlighted the opening five minutes before New Zealand moved up a gear. The imposing reach and presence of 1.93m Kelly Jackson at goalkeeper, playing her 89th test, caused the England shooters all sorts of problems. The smothering in-circle defence denied the Roses’ shooters ability to find free space, limiting their scoring options and prompting change with strong-holding shooter Eleanor Cardwell coming off the bench for Olivia Tchine.
At the other end, Kate Heffernan (centre) and wing attack Maddy Gordon played speedy front lines in providing quick ball to the key shooting target of Nweke. It worked expertly with New Zealand scorching out to a six-goal lead while the attacking/defensive ability of Kate Heffernan gave New Zealand extra opportunities in helping steer the side to a 16-11 lead at the first break.
Introducing Amy Carter, at centre, and reshuffling their defence line paid dividends for England, who responded with a strong showing on the resumption. Initially slipping behind by seven, England, led by lively wing defence Imogen Allison, who was in the thick of getting hand to intercept and deflected ball, stalled New Zealand’s momentum.
Cutting the deficit to four on two occasions, England couldn’t fully break the New Zealanders. Nweke was a model of consistency under the hoop in converting 24 from 25 for the half in a drawn second stanza to help New Zealand hold the edge when leading 29-24 at the main break.
A 6-2 start by the women in black set New Zealand up to press home their advantage in a desperate third stanza by both sides. The long wing span of Jackson, who had a running battle with Cardwell throughout, and athleticism of captain Karin Burger, continued to ruffle the England attack line.
New Zealand’s midcourt added to the relentless through-court pressure New Zealand inflicted on England while the Heffernan sisters and Gordon delivered a consistent supply of quality ball into the hands of Nweke, who invariably was well-stationed within close range of the hoop.
With their hand forced, England continued to make changes but the resilient New Zealanders weathered the storm, to keep the Roses on the back foot while pushing out to a 46-37 lead at the blast turn.