Following a historical run to Commonwealth gold on the Gold Coast for Tracey Neville’s Netball team, the England Roses finished as runners-up in the Quad Series, equalling their best ever finish in the tournament. 

After beating South Africa by a score of 45-42 in the final game of the tournament, the Commonwealth champions took their tally to two wins after beating New Zealand earlier in the competition and secured their runners-up position. 

Helen Housby, who starred on the Gold Coast, shone once more in Australia by shooting 89 per cent as the Roses clawed back a three-point deficit in the final minutes of the game in emphatic fashion. 

She told Sky Sports after the game: “We know that we’ve got a squad that we can bring on, we made a few changes and it kept the mind busy – but we’re happy with the win, it’s always a good game against South Africa, but we’re just pleased to get over the line. 

“It can be hard sometimes to keep consistent (with new combinations), but we know that we can play with anyone, and I feel confident with any combination so I think the team did well.”

England narrowly lost out to Australia during their first meeting since the Commonwealth final, by a score of 52-47 in their second game of the round-robin tournament.

In a Quad Series where the Roses experimented with their squad and rotated fairly regularly, the accomplishment cannot be downplayed – especially considering they had to play their final two games without injured star shooter Jo Harten. 

With the 2019 Netball World Cup on the horizon, success at the Quad Series has started their preparation for the major tournament in Liverpool with a bang. 

Up next on the calendar for the England Roses is a three-match Vitality Netball International Series against Uganda held in Liverpool, the first time the Roses will have played on home soil since becoming Commonwealth champs. 

The She Cranes pose a difficult, physical test for England, who will have to be at their best to overcome the 7th-best ranked country in the world. Uganda finished in an impressive sixth place in their maiden Commonwealth Games in April, and were in England’s pool group as the Roses triumphed 55-49. 

The first match of the test series will be on the 27th November, with the third and final game commencing at the Copper Box Arena on Sunday 2nd December. 

See the Roses back on home soil in Liverpool at the much anticipated 2019 Netball World Cup, for more information please visit England Netball for ticket details for the World Cup and the test series against Uganda.