10.30pm - By RICHARD BOOCK
They may have made hard work of it at times, but the new-look Silver Ferns still managed to stride well clear of South Africa in the first test in Auckland tonight.
The side, who assembled for their first training run on the morning of the match, could be forgiven for lacking timing and cohesion at times, as they swept to a 71-33 win at the North Shore Events Centre.
The result not only represented a strong start to the two-test series for New Zealand, it also gave Ruth Aitken's side a reasonable launching pad for a campaign pitched at next year's world championships in Jamaica.
On the credit side, Aitken would have been happy with the performance of her new captain Anna Rowberry, who was a commanding figure in mid-court, and would also have been delighted with the efforts of Lesley Nicol, who turned in a virtually flawless game at wing-defence.
But there would have been a measure of concern at the rusty work around New Zealand's defensive circle early on, not to mention some lapses in transition and the occasional breakdown at the shooting end of the court.
If there was nothing unpredictable about the result, there were at least a few surprises in the starting line-up considering Anna Veronese was at goal-defence and Jenny-May Coffin at wing-attack.
Having being hit by five defections in the past year, there were always going to be some changes, but it was still expected that Sheryl Clarke would team up with Vilimaina Davu at the back, particularly after their Commonwealth Games success.
But Veronese received the nod instead (apparently because Clarke had felt an ankle strain during the week) and Adine Harper's recall to international netball began with a couple of quarters on the bench.
In a game in which New Zealand were expected to leap out to a decisive early advantage, the tourists were able to live with their more fancied opponents for the best part of the first two quarters, demonstrating in particular some telling accuracy around the shooting circle.
The Ferns led 18-11 at the first-quarter break and extended that to 32-21 at halftime, before turning on the turbo power after the break and leaping out to a 50-27 third quarter advantage.
The noticeable improvement after halftime may have stemmed from the changes made by Aitken, who took the opportunity to introduce Harper at goal-attack and debutante Anna Scarlett at goal-defence, and to swap the mid-court roles of Rowberry and Coffin.
The new combination cut through the tourists like a swathe in the second half, rattling on 39 goals against the opposition's 12, to win the match with the ease initially expected.
South Africa might have been disappointed with the eventual margin, but they still had plenty to feel encouraged about, especially after impressive contributions from defender Tanya Pelcher and the goal-shooting combination of Elsje Jordaan and Adele Jonker.
Netball: Shaky start ends with a flourish
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