Netball World Cup 2015: Scores, Results, Fixtures, Draw After Friday's Action
England are into the semi-finals of the 2015 Netball World Cup after they beat South Africa 62-46 in Sydney on Friday.
Tracey Neville’s side were made to work a little harder for this win than many expected, as their opponents made life difficult for them. But England had that extra bit of class to get them over the line and will face four-time winners New Zealand in the last four, who beat Uganda 76-33 in their final match of the group stage.
Jamaica are also through after they beat Malawi 63-62 in a thrilling game earlier in the day. They will face hosts Australia, who rounded off their qualification phase with an emphatic 89-24 win over Wales.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
| 1 | NEW ZEALAND | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 188 | 130 | 144.6 | 6 |
| 2 | JAMAICA | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 170 | 164 | 103.7 | 4 |
| 3 | MALAWI | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 170 | 173 | 98.3 | 2 |
| 4 | UGANDA | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 133 | 194 | 68.6 | 0 |
| 1 | AUSTRALIA | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 206 | 96 | 214.6 | 6 |
| 2 | ENGLAND | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 181 | 130 | 139.2 | 4 |
| 3 | SOUTH AFRICA | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 145 | 168 | 86.3 | 2 |
| 4 | WALES | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 97 | 235 | 41.3 | 0 |
| 1 | TRINIDAD & TOBAGO | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 208 | 118 | 176.3 | 6 |
| 2 | SAMOA | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 148 | 159 | 93.1 | 4 |
| 3 | ZAMBIA | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 159 | 157 | 101.3 | 2 |
| 4 | SINGAPORE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 107 | 188 | 56.9 | 0 |
| 1 | FIJI | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 173 | 110 | 157.3 | 6 |
| 2 | SCOTLAND | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 138 | 109 | 126.6 | 4 |
| 3 | BARBADOS | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 138 | 118 | 117 | 2 |
| 4 | SRI LANKA | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 91 | 203 | 44.8 | 0 |
| Jamaica | 63-62 | Malawi |
| Singapore | 36-67 | Zambia |
| England | 62-46 | South Africa |
| New Zealand | 76-33 | Uganda |
| Australia | 89-24 | Wales |
Tables and results courtesy of the tournament's official website.
England Battle Past South Africa
Here's a look at the semi-final schedule in full, per the tournament's official Twitter feed:
"Bring on Day 9 - Semi Finals day! #NWC2015 pic.twitter.com/m20RqGMX6X
— Netball World Cup (@netballworldcup) August 14, 2015"
After losing against Australia in their opening game in the qualification round, England were under big pressure to bounce back in subsequent matches. They did so superbly against Wales on Wednesday, and against the Proteas on Friday, they turned in a gritty display to secure their spot in the semi-finals.
It was a win that means England progress as Pool F runners-up, and they were made to work hard for their victory against the world’s fifth-best side.
As we can see courtesy of the Roses’ official Twitter feed, their shooting was above the benchmark standard of 90 per cent:
They made their intentions clear from the off in this one, too. England began the match much better than South Africa, moving the ball with vigour and defending with a steely determination. The result was an 11-point lead at the halfway stage, and although the Proteas did show a little more in the latter quarters, the Roses slowly pulled away.
It was an absorbing contest, but not as thrilling as the clash between Jamaica and Malawi earlier on Friday. The Sunshine Girls eventually came out on top by a solitary point, but the match was played at a breathless tempo, as we can see here courtesy of the tournament’s official Twitter feed:
“It was a tough game,” Jamaica shooter Romelda Aiken said afterward, per abc.net.au. “All the African teams stepped it up quite a lot and it was really tough out there. They always come out to play really hard...even though we got hit we need to take it and man up and continue with the job."
Although Jamaica deserve credit for their win and subsequent progression, as Aiken noted, Malawi have been excellent at this tournament. Just as they did against New Zealand in their previous encounter, they pushed an illustrious opponent exceptionally close and will definitely be a team to watch at the 2019 tournament.
In the last two matches of the day it was easy going for the two favourites, as Australia and New Zealand cemented their status as the teams to beat.
New Zealand were far too good for Uganda in a 76-33 triumph. As noted by the tournament's official Twitter feed, it was a special day for Maria Tutaia, who picked up her 100th international cap:
Rounding off Friday's action was the most lopsided match of day, as the hosts hammered Wales 89-24. They had far too much for their opponents on the day, and after some less-than-impressive displays earlier on in the competition, Australia seem to be peaking at the perfect time. It's going to take something very special to stop them going all the way.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
