England manager Jess Servey believes the Vitality Roses’ mindset has changed when facing the world’s best teams and they are now in a “different space”.
England tour Australia and New Zealand this month and next, playing three games against the world’s number one team, Australia, before playing three games against the world’s second-ranked team, New Zealand. Live on Sky Sports.
The match will allow Thirlby to see how far his team has come with a combination of eight experienced players and new faces, with the 2027 World Cup in mind.
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England have secured a place in the Netball World Cup final after beating New Zealand in the semi-finals.
Thirlby’s team achieved a shock performance at the 2023 Netball World Cup, beating New Zealand 46-40 to secure a place in the final.
England then fought bravely to a 61-45 defeat to Australia, and Rose’s expectations of himself have changed thanks to his experience and great achievements on the international stage since then.
“It’s always (high expectations). I hope that never wavers,” Thirlby said. Off the court on Sky Sports Podcast.
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Australia beats England in South Africa Netball World Cup final
“It doesn’t matter where we are as we move towards our long-term goal of hosting the World Cup on Australian soil in 2027.
“I think what we expect of ourselves and our girls is different now, especially because the mindset has changed so much in the last few years.
“I think we have to have really high expectations and ambitions if we’re going to close that gap over the next few years.
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Looking back at the Netball World Cup semi-final story that saw England and Australia reach the final
“So we have high expectations for ourselves, but we have no illusions about this big tour. We are competing very quickly with the world’s No. 1 and No. 2.
“Just do it, really. What we’ve gotten used to is that we don’t take things easy. We’re not afraid to come here early in the cycle.
“The sooner we get the chance to play the world’s No. 1 and No. 2 teams, the better it is for us, because we can’t guarantee when we’ll get the chance to play them.
“We have an evolving and exciting team, with a lot of new, fresh talent and emerging talent coming in, so it’s up to us to unlock different combinations to stress test, and there’s no better place to do that.”
‘We are changing the tide’
Thirlby believes there is plenty of evidence that England are approaching the current match against Australia differently than in the past, particularly the way the inexperienced girls talk about the challenges ahead compared to the older girls.
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After losing the Netball World Cup final to Australia, England players won silver in South Africa.
“I think the evolution of the team has ultimately led to us bringing a very experienced team to the World Cup,” she added.
“They collectively, as a group, had a lot of seasoned, experienced leaders who had been on the road for four years.
“It took a long time for us to get to the point where we were strong enough and playing our best to at least get to the finals.
“These things don’t happen overnight.
“I don’t want to be the one encouraging the Rose team to do things that other people don’t do often or at all, if they’re not prepared to be in situations like losing by one goal, winning by one goal, drawing, being beaten by a lot of people.
“It’s all part of the journey and it helps shape the rich character that this team has.
“They don’t back down from that challenge, they really lean into it, and their commitment is at an all-time high, beyond what they think they can do.
“The older members in the group always say that the new members in the group speak differently.
“There’s been a change and they can remember what it was like five, six, seven, 10 years ago but they’re working with girls who are just coming out of their debut season and they’re coming straight here to play against Australia.
“It’s a good thing that the language and narrative are changing. We’re starting to turn the tide.”
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As the Netball Super League resumes, find out who will be playing for whom in the new season.
The entire England squad
Imogen Allison, Eleanor Cardwell (AUS series only), Amy Carter, Beth Cobden, Funmi Fadoju, Alice Harvey, Helen Housby, Hannah Joseph, Nat Metcalf, Berri Neil, Lois Pearson, Razia Quashie, Ellie Rattu, Liv Tchine, Francesca Williams.
Full England fixtures – all matches live on Sky Sports
- Thursday 19 September, 10am – Australia v England, Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide
- Sunday 22 September 7am – Australia v England, Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney
- Wednesday 25 September 10am – Australia v England, Bendigo Stadium, Bendigo
- Sunday 29 September 7.35am – New Zealand v England, Auckland Trust Arena
- Wednesday 2 October 7:35am – New Zealand v England, Te Rauparaha Arena, Porirua
- Sunday 6 October 7:35am – New Zealand v England, ILT Stadium Southland, Invercargill
Watch England’s tour of Australia and New Zealand live on Sky Sports. Stream netball and more with a NOW Sports Month membership. Cancel anytime, no contract.
