After the disappointing loss against the Australian Diamonds in their opening Quad Series game, England Roses will be aiming to bounce back against New Zealand on Wednesday.
The Roses left too much to chase in the second half against the Diamonds as they were beaten 54-50.
Stacey Francis spoke to us about what fans can expect from the Roses in the second match of the Quad Series against the Silver Ferns.
Although they secured a comfortable victory over the Roses earlier this year, Francis is confident that there will be no knock on effect for the England Roses squad and stresses how the team line up has changed since then.
She said: “Maybe there’ll be a physiological benefit to the New Zealand team – they had a big victory last time they stepped out on court but there is definitely no knock on effect for the England squad.
“It’s a different team than what was presented last time. We are preparing the same as we would do and aiming to come away from the match with a win.”
New Zealand will be roared on by a vocal home crowd in Auckland and Francis is clear on how the Roses must rise to this challenge.
She said: “It’s more of a challenge, you have to make sure you are playing consistently and well. That then gives the crowd pause for thought – they have to stop and kind of really pay attention to what you are doing as opposed to just relentlessly cheering the home team.
“So it will be about making sure that we really try to keep momentum swinging our way, that we keep the connections and actually when the crowd potentially do go quiet – because we are excelling – we use that as an opportunity to increase our level of communication and dominance in the game.”
With the Commonwealth Games on the horizon, the Quad Series is a perfect opportunity to observe what kind of form the teams are all in as their preparations intensify.
Francis commented: “We’ll be aiming to be competitive and stamp our authority moving into what will be a really competitive Commonwealth Games for England.”
The Roses’ performances will undoubtedly help develop and strengthen the squad for the future.
But the first test is certainly to spring a surprise and defeat world no.2s New Zealand.
You can follow the England Roses on tour via our official twitter account @England_Netball and watch every single match LIVE exclusively on Sky Sports.
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