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England thankful for Silver Ferns series amidst pandemic

September 16, 2021

Roses captain Serena Guthrie said her side are enjoying their time in Christchurch ahead of the matches.

England's netball squad are making the most of their time in Christchurch ahead of their Test series against the Silver Ferns next week after a two-week spell of managed isolation.

Netball NZ confirmed at the end of last month England was headed to New Zealand to play the Silver Ferns in a three-Test series in Christchurch.

The trip included a two-week MIQ stint for England on arrival but captain Serena Guthrie said her side have been making the most of the situation, including some viral dancing videos on social media.

"You do anything to pass those days away but we're obviously really happy to get out and get into Christchurch and training," Guthrie said.

"We're still in unprecedented times so to be able to get across here and play some netball is huge for us and we're certainly not taking it for granted.

"It's a massive privilege to step out there on Monday because chances for international netball have been so few and far between in recent years."

20/07/2019 - Netball - Vitality Netball World Cup 2019 semi final - England v New Zealand - M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool, England - Jane Watson of New Zealand and Eboni Usoro-Brown of England.
Copyright photo: Allan McKenzie / SWPix.com / www.photosport.nz

Despite next week's matches being able to go ahead under Delta Level 2 restrictions, the series has still been hit by New Zealand's recent Covid-19 outbreak with four Silver Ferns stuck in Auckland and unable to play due to the City of Sails' Level 4 restrictions.

Guthrie said she knows exactly what the Silver Ferns are going through after dealing with the same situation last year when they played the world champions.

"It's really unfortunate for those girls in Auckland but we have to play the game that is in front of us," she said.

"We had to play without some of our girls last year so it's really nice to be able to bring some of them back with us this year."

Thanks to a new partnership between SKY and TVNZ, the Silver Ferns' international matches this year will be broadcast free-to-air on TVNZ2 delayed.

Silver Ferns International coverage on TVNZ 2 & OnDemand– watch NZ take on England on September 20, 22 and 24. For details go to tvnz.co.nz/silverferns


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