England end World Cup hoodoo against Australia on 13th attempt

England fought back from a nine-goal deficit to clinch their first ever win over netball heavyweights Australia in 13 attempts at a World Cup to underline their tournament-winning credentials in Cape Town.

The Roses staged a thrilling fightback late on in their final pool match - which had the feel of a goal-medal encounter - to secure a statement victory against the Diamonds to top their group.

Grinding it out in the all-important third quarter, England found cleaner lines of attack as they clawed their way back into the contest where at one point they were staring down the barrel of defeat.

They rallied superbly to recover a 38-29 deficit to stun the world’s top ranked side, with substitute Chelsea Pitman adding an injection of creativity into England’s attack to take a huge step forward in their quest to win a maiden World Cup. The Roses have won bronze at the past three editions but they will fancy their chances after this ego-boosting win.

Jess Thirlby, the England head coach who is leading the Roses at her first World Cup, hailed her side’s performance as a “massively important moment” but refused to get carried away by the occasion.

To give an idea of Australia’s dominance on the world stage, this was only the second time England had beaten them since their memorable Commonwealth triumph against the Diamonds in 2018.

“It adds to our confidence, but we know we have two games to come and it means nothing if we can’t follow it up,” said a level-headed Thirlby, whose tactical change to throw on mid-courter Pitman at the expense of Nat Metcalf after the break proved the difference.

“I’m not going to lie, it feels nice. It’s the fact we were eight goals down and to be pushed in the last 15 and still come out on top, I don’t think you can underestimate mentally what that tells me about where the group is at.”

The historic result means unbeaten England go through to the semi-finals as top seeds and will face either Commonwealth silver medalists Jamaica or reigning world champions New Zealand on Saturday.

Slow starts have been a feature of England’s campaign in Cape Town but in their first proper test at the tournament, the Roses enjoyed a blistering start against the 11-time winners.

Forcing uncharacteristic mistakes from the Diamonds, who looked ragged and devoid of ideas going forward, they flew into a five-goal lead but began to stutter when Ellie Cardwell, England’s goal-shooter, was controversially penalised for a held ball.

With the Roses’ momentum stalled, Australia felt their way back into a frantic first quarter. It would be the first of several crunch momentum switches in an electrifying pool match which saw England collapse in the second quarter, which they lost 19-11.

By the break, Australia, fresh from regaining their Commonwealth title last year in Birmingham, were flexing their muscles and underlined their status as tournament favourites.

But Thirlby’s tactical switch after the break - when Pitman entered the fray - paid dividends. Everything the magician touched turned to gold, as the mid-courter exploited pockets of space around the court and fed Helen Housby in the centre circle, as Australia were thwarted by the defensive partnership of Funmi Fadoju and Fran Williams.

The Roses continued to turn the screw in a tense final quarter, when Williams made a crucial intercept before carving the court open with a flat pass to Ellie Cardwell, as England eked out a three-goal lead at 50-47.

With the clock ticking down, the defender made another vital contribution in the final 40 seconds of the match, when Australia were in possession and sniffing a draw. Cardwell sank the match-deciding goal with a safe pair of hands before Williams stuck out an arm to snuff out a last-gasp Australian attack.

“Every win is a confidence boost for us, and it is something that keeps us going day after day,” said England’s Imogen Allison. “So yes, getting one over Australia is a good one.”