Netball World Cup 2015: Scores, Results, Fixtures, Draw After Wednesday's Action

No major surprises occurred during Wednesday's 2015 Netball World Cup action, as the likes of Australia, New Zealand and England all easily won their second matches of the qualifying round.  

The Diamonds cruised against South Africa, winning 66-31, while New Zealand disposed of Malawi, winning 57-49. In Pool F's all British battle, Wales were no match for the Roses, losing 78-33. Here are the full results from Wednesday's action, along with updated standings and upcoming fixtures, per the tournament's official Twitter feed:

Pool E	P	W	D	L	%	Points
Pool F	P	W	D	L	%	Points
Pool G	P	W	D	L	%	Points
Pool H	P	W	D	L	%	Points
New Zealand	2	2	0	0	115.5	4
Malawi	2	1	0	1	98.2	2
Uganda	1	0	0	1	89.8	0
Jamaica	1	0	0	1	87.3	0
Australia	2	2	0	0	162.5	4
England	2	1	0	1	141.7	2
South Africa	2	1	0	1	93.4	2
Wales	2	0	0	2	50	0
Trinidad & Tobago	2	2	0	0	198.6	4
Samoa	2	2	0	0	109.8	4
Zambia	2	0	0	2	76	0
Singapore	2	0	0	2	58.7	0
Fiji	2	2	0	0	183.8	4
Scotland	2	2	0	0	157.4	4
Barbados	2	0	0	2	83.5	0
Sri Lanka	2	0	0	2	42.6	0

Recap

England needed to beat rivals Wales to keep their semi-final hopes alive and did just that on Wednesday, cruising to a 78-33 win. The Roses started quickly and never looked back, playing perhaps their best match yet.

Led by Rachel Dunn and Pamela Cookey, and with Helen Housby contributing in the scoring department, the Roses once again showed their powerful athletic advantage. Coming away with a number of turnovers in the opening minutes, England jumped out to a 9-0 lead and finished the first quarter 23-8.

The second quarter played out in similar fashion, and with a half-time score of 42-13, England's win was never in doubt.

Housby took to Twitter to thank the fans for their incredible support:

England have shown they're capable of playing incredible defence all tournament, but the Roses have let sloppy mistakes, poor rebounding and inconsistent shooting get the better of them at times. This wasn't the case against Wales, and if the squad can keep up this level of play moving forward, they should like their chances of causing an upset in the semi-finals.

New Zealand faced the toughest task of all of the favourites on Wednesday, taking on undefeated Malawi, and the Silver Ferns did what they had to do, beating the Malawi Queens to become the last undefeated team left in the competition.

Mwai Kumwenda impressed for Malawi, shooting 38 from 42 attempts, and the African side pushed the Silver Ferns throughout the match with an excellent defensive effort. But New Zealand took an early six-goal lead and remained highly efficient in the opposing half, doing just enough to keep Malawi at bay.

Defending champions Australia booked their spot in the semi-finals with a big win over South Africa, beating the Proteas 66-31. The Diamonds didn't look their best in their loss against New Zealand or their win over England, but Wednesday's performance was vintage Australia.

Sharni Layton was the star defensively, returning to her favourite position of goalkeeper. The team's official Twitter account shared one of her many interceptions, noting she always seemed to be around the ball:

Defence remains Australia's biggest weapon, and with Layton not playing against the Roses and pushed into the goal defence position against the Silver Ferns, the squad visibly struggled. Given the Diamonds' heavy schedule, it's normal the team is being rotated during the group stages, but Layton has to start the semi-finals.

The favourites will have a rest day on Thursday, when the spotlight will be on Jamaica. The Sunshine Girls need to start winning in order to have any chance of making the semi-finals, and with Uganda on the schedule, the bronze medalists at the 2014 Commonwealth Games will have their work cut out for them.