England have overtaken New Zealand to move up to second in World Netball’s (WN) World Rankings.
This marks only the third time ever that England have been ranked in second since the rankings were introduced in 2008, having previously moved up to second in 2018 and 2019.
The top two spots of the ladder have predominantly been held by Australia and New Zealand. Whilst Australia remain world number ones after this latest update to the WN World Rankings, New Zealand have moved into third place, behind the Vitality Roses.
The Roses’ rise in the rankings is a true disruption of the international netball world order and follows not only their historic silver medal at the 2023 Netball World Cup, but also a series of impressive performances outside of pinnacle events where England have enjoyed continued success against the top nations, and in particular the Silver Ferns, over the past few years. The Vitality Roses have beaten New Zealand in nine out of the past 14 meetings between the two sides, and among these wins have been some truly historic victories.
Just last month the Vitality Roses completed a historic tour in which they beat the current world number one Australia in Australia for only the third time ever and won the Taini Jamison Trophy against then world number two New Zealand for only the second time ever, and for the first time winning in New Zealand in the first two games of the three match test series.
This hugely successful tour featured young players making a real impact, with Funmi Fadoju and Liv Tchine both picking up player of the match awards among a squad featuring both experienced international campaigners such as Helen Housby and Beth Cobden along with Vitality Roses debutants Lois Pearson and Jess Shaw.
This success on the world stage also comes against the backdrop of the drive to professionalise the UK’s elite domestic league, the Netball Super League, which continues to grow and develop talented players, many of whom have contributed to this rise in the rankings, playing in Vitality Roses teams who have achieved these victories against the world’s best.
Reflecting on the change in England’s world ranking Vitality Roses Head Coach Jess Thirlby said: “This is fantastic recognition for all the players and staff who have worked tirelessly over the last five years to start to change the order in world netball. It’s pleasing to see that our results and increased competitiveness over recent times have been acknowledged but we know we have some way to go to become world number one and are committed and motivated more than ever to reach that goal.
“It’s taken a number of history-making results to be elevated into number two which tells us how hard it is to achieve this status and how complex the rankings system is. While we know the margins are slim, especially between those nations in the top four, and no doubt there will continue to be a jostling of positions, we will pause to celebrate this moment and use this to drive us onto more success. I want to thank all the incredible athletes and staff who have helped us so far.”
The WN World Rankings table can be viewed here.
For further information on how the rankings are calculated, take a look at the World Netball’s FAQs.
