England aiming to beat Silver Ferns and set up Netball World Cup final clash vs Australia; watch live across Sky Sports or on Sky One from 2.30pm on Saturday
Saturday 20 July 2019 14:27, UK
Tracey Neville is refusing to let herself get carried away as England prepare for a World Cup semi-final in front of an expectant crowd sensing a history-making weekend in Liverpool.
England beat South Africa on Thursday night to set up a clash with the Silver Ferns on Saturday afternoon, with a place in Sunday's final against Australia now at stake after the Diamonds saw off South Africa 55-53.
The Roses have never reached a World Cup final and Australia or New Zealand have beaten them in each of the last seven editions of the tournament, the Silver Ferns winning in 2011 and 2015.
Neville has been part of that heartbreak as a coach and also as a player. As she prepares for her final two games in charge before stepping away from the role to start a family, the perfect finale could be just around the corner, not that Neville is getting ahead of herself.
"I am not thinking about a final, I am taking the game and the squad day-by-day and they have succeeded for me," she said.
"We have been through losses and wins but all I can ask is the heart, soul and passion they have shown so far that is all I can ask and the result will speak for itself."
England and Neville secured the country's first major gold medal in the sport when they beat Australia last April in the Commonwealth Games.
Ripping that medal from the sport's dominant force in their own back yard has given Neville a chance to build expectation and a home World Cup on the banks of the Mersey has given them a platform like never before.
"We talk about your dreams as an athlete, as a coach and I always wanted to see a stadium full of red and white," she adds.
"I've been told about more tickets being sold than ever before and I can only say thank you because we want the legacy of this tournament to take netball to another level."
The players have been mobbed around their hotel, the welcome to the court has been spine-tingling and that will only go up a notch as knockout netball takes centre stage over the weekend.
But Neville remains focused on the job in hand and the hallmark of her tenure has been giving her players the platform on which to succeed and a system several years in the making that has allowed the team to flourish.
"The centralised programme has enabled me to understand the personalities in our groups, the international calendar has given players the opportunity to go out and perform against the best," Neville said.
"It has given us belief and confidence in the individual and while I have a crucial job to play in this team, so does every individual and there is a trust within us that we do our job well and support each other.
Throughout the tournament, Neville has been full of praise for her staff and, in particular, the players who have had to overcome adversity during the week in Liverpool following Layla Guscoth's injury.
Losing Layla impacted us emotionally before and after the game.<p>We told her after her operation to get back and get into our team.<p>We started this tournament as a 12 and want to finish it as a 12.
Having overcome a Proteas side that have beaten them in recent editions of the Quad Series, the England coach feels the test, like Jamaica earlier in the tournament will stand them in good stead.
"We're coming off two games of tough, tough competition so it was who physically had it and who mentally had it," Neville said.
In New Zealand, England have an opponent finding form at the right time, led by the coach most observers have labelled the best in the game and someone Neville holds in the highest regard.
"New Zealand are a world-class side with a world-class coach but we have to concentrate on our game plan," she said.
"We have had a good run into the tournament but anything can happen in the semi-final and now we can break through that glass ceiling but they want that too."
Noeline Taurua has led the Ferns through their toughest spell of the last few years - they were regulars in Commonwealth Games and World Cup finals but they have slipped down to fourth in the world rankings.
Inspired by centre Laura Langman and Taurua's impact on the game they cruised through their group stages, and almost stunned the Aussies on Thursday having trailed by six at one stage.
Taurua is well aware of the threat posed by England. "Being the gold medallists from the last Commonwealth Games and being at home, I expect a torrid encounter against England. It will be an intense match because a shot at the title is on the line," she told the Ferns official website.
"The attacking end is also very solid and they have been able to consolidate that over several years. Jo Harten and Helen Housby are high percentage shooters, they're very smart, don't get caught up in the physical stuff and do a good job of putting doubt in their opponent's heads by being quite creative and street smart."
The stage is set for another titanic tussle in Liverpool and it's England with the 100 per cent record but New Zealand with the power of history on their side.
The Roses have won just one of the 14 World Cup meetings with the Silver Ferns, but powered by Neville this England have a belief not usually associated with the national team.
Saturday will just be another step, but it could be the biggest of all.
Watch coverage of the second Vitality Netball World Cup semi-final on Sky Sports Netball on Saturday from 2.30pm - the game is also available on Sky One and the Sky Sports YouTube channel, as is Sunday's final.
