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Vitality Roses: England name squad for South Africa series in January 2026 fresh from Jamaica win

England playing in Johannesburg from January 29 in last international test outing before the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in the summer; England beat South Africa in final of Vitality Netball Nations Cup last time nations met in February

Monday 22 December 2025 13:06, UK

Francesca Williams lifts the trophy after victory over Jamaica in the Vitality Netball Horizon Series
Image: Francesca Williams lifts the trophy after victory over Jamaica in the Vitality Netball Horizon Series

The Vitality Roses have named their squad for their three-match test series away to South Africa in January.

Fifteen players have been picked to travel by head coach Jess Thirlby for the matches which take place in Johannesburg on January 29, January 31 and February 1.

Thirlby's selection contains 14 of the players from the victorious Vitality Netball Horizon Series squad earlier in December, which saw England lift the trophy for the first time after a 2-0 series win over the Jamaica Sunshine Girls.

Imogen Allison returns, subject to fitness, following her recovery from an injury which kept her out of the series against Jamaica and, in November, New Zealand.

England beat South Africa, the world's fifth-ranked side, 61-55 when they last met in February to lift the Vitality Netball Nations Cup.

Vitality Roses squad for South Africa series

Halimat Adio
Imogen Allison*
Jaz Brown
Eleanor Cardwell
Amy Carter
Beth Cobden*
Funmi Fadoju
Sasha Glasgow**
Helen Housby**
Natalie Metcalf
Lois Pearson
Razia Quashie
Jess Shaw
Liv Tchine
Francesca Williams

*Subject to fitness
**Available for ranking test matches against South Africa only

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Thirlby said: "This series in South Africa is a really important step for us as we continue to build towards the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games [July-August 2026].

"Facing a world-class side like South Africa away from home will provide a valuable challenge and an opportunity to test ourselves.

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"As our final 180 minutes of international netball together before the Games this summer, it's a key opportunity to reinforce our standards, assess our progress and gain clarity in a high-performance competition environment.

"We're pleased to name a squad that retains much of the group that delivered a record-breaking result against world No 3 Jamaica, while also welcoming back players who have worked hard to earn their opportunities. Jaz's continued development, Nat's return to international netball and Imogen's progress back from injury reflect the depth, competition and resilience within this playing group."

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