Eight years after England’s dramatic last-gasp triumph over Australia on the Gold Coast, netball’s greatest Commonwealth rivalry was renewed in Glasgow. But this time there was no fairytale finish for the Roses as the defending champions dismantled England 66-47 at the Hydro, the Diamonds extending their record against this opposition at the Games to seven wins from eight meetings.
Ever since Helen Housby’s last-second winner stunned the Diamonds in the 2018 final, every meeting between these two heavyweights has carried extra edge. Australia gained a measure of revenge by beating England on the way to gold in Birmingham four years ago and Sunday’s Commonwealth Games pool clash was another marker of where the sport’s fiercest rivalry stands.
