The Silver Ferns are set to take on the best in the world to defend their title. Photo / Photosport
This year is essentially a production line of world cups, with one major sporting event following the other.
While the nation is currently captivated by the Women’s Football World Cup, the Netball World Cup is set to run from July 28 to August 6.
Sports reporter Nathan Limm will be covering the event from South Africa, and tells The Front Page podcast the Silver Ferns face some tough competition if they are to defend the trophy they won in 2019.
“In past Netball World Cups, it would always be a question of who’s going to win between New Zealand or Australia, because there was a significant gap in the quality of opposition below those two teams,” says Limm.
“This time around, you’ve got four teams that could potentially win it: Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica and England.”
The growing competition in the sport was evident during the 2022 Commonwealth Games, when Aotearoa was only able to secure a bronze medal after falling to Jamaica in the semifinals.
Australia would go on to win that event, once again asserting its dominance in the sport.
Listen to the full episode of The Front Page podcast to hear Limm make his calls on big stories to follow as the action unfolds.
The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. It is presented by Damien Venuto, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in business reporting who joined the Herald in 2017.
You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Silver Ferns goal shoot Grace Nweke speaks about the Constellation Cup series and the rivalry against the Diamonds in the final match. Video / Alyse Wright