Litmus test awaits Silver Ferns in crunch match

Some of the Silver Ferns players are still learning on the job and they’re about to go up against England who boast around 900 Test caps.

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The Silver Ferns meet the England Roses tomorrow morning in what will help determine the make-up of the semi-finals at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Australia and Jamaica are set to meet late tonight in pool A.

At the end of the Silver Ferns’ match, they will know whether they will meet Jamaica or Australia in the semi-finals.

Just like England, the Silver Ferns have beaten Northern Ireland, Uganda, Malawi and Trinidad and Tobago in their pool.

But their final group match against the Commonwealth Games defending champions will be a huge test for the side.

The contrast in experience is vast, with the Silver Ferns going into this tournament with 436 Test caps.

England has a number of centurions like Geva Mentor, Jade Clarke, and Jo Harten.

Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua said the level of experience they had was extraordinary.

“And really credit to all those ladies who have notched up that incredible record and still putting it out there.

“To be honest we’re probably going in as the underdogs with everything against us but also quite exciting I think by what we’re capable of, the potential out there but also know it’s going to be very difficult,” Dame Noeline said.

“They’re gold medallists, they’re a great outfit. Yes Serena Guthrie is gone but with that experience that they have in there, they’re able to not necessarily fill the gap she left but they’ve been able to show different combinations out there.

“Conversely with us we’re a bit shy on that and for some of them they’re learning on the job.”

Having said that, those players seem to be learning on the job pretty quickly.

Dame Noeline was pleased with the improved shooting accuracy her side had discovered.

“We’re hitting in the high 80s or 90s. Volume is really good too and I feel like I’ve got three good combinations out there in the shooting end and I’ve probably got three deep in each position too.”

The Silver Ferns’ coach had set out some metrics she believed would give her side the best chance of success, and made her selections around that.

One of those was low turnovers.

Of all the sides at the tournament the Silver Ferns have committed the least match play errors and handling errors at this point of the competition.

“The selections around some of these players …I feel we are just starting to see why some of these people are in here.

“In saying that understand we’ll be tested so we’ll just see how the theory is and our ability to execute.”

She said playing smart would be key, as well as shutting out a crowd barracking for their hometown favourites.

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“Mentally it’s so important as well that we keep to what we need to do, we can control our controllables.

The Silver Ferns’ were beaten in a series by England last year and lost to them in the Quad series in January.

Dame Noeline said her side had come a long way in regards to their strategy and believed there had been big shifts in individuals.

“It’s now the time in this pressure cooker to be able to execute. That’s what it’s all about when you get to this business end. To some degree that’s exciting and we’re as well prepared as we can.”

Dame Noeline said the Silver Ferns had been able to build nicely into the tournament.

“I feel every day we’ve been getting better and we will definitely be tested playing against England, with everything either external or what’s on court …but really excited to see what we can do.”

She said they had to go with the mentality that they had nothing to lose.

“I feel for us the expectation is within and the pressure is within and because of that reason I’m really comfortable with where we’re currently sitting.

“We know that, so we can only control what we can and if anything there’s more of an upside to us if we get through this than if they lose this game, so I’m taking it positively.”