Silver Ferns Hoping To Host England Or Australia
New Zealand’s Silver Ferns say they’re positively holding out for international games played opposite either Australia or England in November – right here at home.
Not only has Netball New Zealand been in constant talks with England Netball and Netball Australia over the course of recent months, specifically regarding the possibility of either sides playing the world champions on home turf in November, but there also appears to be a Cadbury Series warm-up tournament run in the offing for the end of October. Once confirmed, players will get to look forward to a competition featuring the Ferns, NZ men, NZ under-21s, and even a so-called “All Stars” national A team.
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The possibility of a tri-series at international levels has however been ruled out, Netball New Zealand chief executive Jenny Wyllie has said. This means that a November international will be booked against either England or Australia – but not both.
Neither of the two countries have so far been ruled out, said Wyllie. But since the protocols that will have to be met are stringent and the logistics unusually challenging, only one of the two teams can be hosted at any given point in time. And while Wyllie said NNZ held no preference regarding which of the two countries ends up being played, England is at this stage beginning to look like the likelier of the two options. Since team Australia is currently playing Super Netball, Wyllie says the players may be ready for a family-break by the time they make it out of a full Queensland bubble schedule.
