Win eases Silver Ferns' minds

New Zealnd's emphatic second-Test win over England in Palmerston North provided a much-needed boost after a run of netball losses.

There was plenty to be happy about following the Silver Ferns' 52-38 second Test win over England in Palmerston North on Friday.

After Tuesday's 42-38 first Test defeat in Rotorua, coach Waimarama Taumaunu was happy goal shoot Cathrine Latu delivered a focused performance as the Silver Ferns finished a demanding international season on a high note.

Stand-in skipper Laura Langman was happy her team found some consistency, shaking off the doubts and hesitations which threatened to become ingrained after six consecutive losses.

Wing attack Grace Rasmussen was happy one of her best performances in the black dress won her player of the match accolades.

And Katrina Grant, still learning the ropes at goal defence after captain Casey Kopua's injury forced a reshuffle at the back, was just happy the rollercoaster ride of a challenging international season was finally over.

Taumaunu says Latu's performance delivered pretty much everything she'd asked for.

She missed just two goals from 28 in shooting at an impressive 93 per cent success rate, using canny body positioning, an intuitive turn for the feed and a single-minded drive for the ball to impressive effect.

There is, however, still room for improvement. In particular, Taumaunu wants Latu to work on her rebounding and cut back further on the passing errors.

And she'd also like to see more confidence on the shot.

"I'd like her to be comfortable and confident about her mid-range shots, because she's actually a very good mid-range shooter, but she forgets."

Langman, who has accumulated 112 consecutive caps for New Zealand since her 2005 debut, says the most satisfying aspect of Friday's win was its manner.

"Tonight it was all about being fearless.

"We had trained really well but we hadn't been translating that into the Tests," she said.

"It was really heartening to see the fruits of that."

Rasmussen, who has 13 Test caps in an injury-plagued career since making her debut in 2010, was happy to lift after a diffident performance in Rotorua.

"It was about attacking the space - I think in the first Test I was more stand-offish, so it was about getting used to that physicality," she said.

Grant said the last couple of months had been challenging as the Kiwis look to regather before next year's World Cup in Sydney.

"It's been tough, it's definitely been character-building.

"It's been a rollercoaster but we put things together, and it showed tonight.

"We are a good side and we can win."


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