In their heaviest loss in Netball World Cup history, the Silver Ferns have gone down to the Sunshine Girls - and have to return to the drawing board to beat a buoyant England in the semifinals.
If the Silver Ferns are to keep hold of their world champions' crown over the next few days, they'll need to fix the rocky connections between their defence and attack.
The Ferns have stumbled at their first real hurdle of the Netball World Cup in Cape Town, losing to Jamaica, 59-48 - New Zealand's heaviest defeat at a world tournament.
But New Zealand still made the semifinals and will now play England - a must-win to defend their title.
The Jamaican victory - their first over New Zealand at a World Cup - means they'll play Australia in the other semifinal, after Australia lost to England earlier in the day.
The Ferns walked off court not completely safe in the knowledge they had a semifinals berth in the bag. South Africa, who they drew with only 17 hours earlier, could still snatch the fourth spot - but only if they beat Uganda by a mammoth 63 goals later in the day. The Proteas won the clash, but only by two.
For the casual netball fan, these results may come as a surprise, but it shows the evolution of the game. Many of the Jamaican and English stars play in the Australian domestic league, testing themselves against some of the world's best every week. And don't forget the Jamaicans beat New Zealand by 16 to reach the final of last year's Commonwealth Games.
The Ferns were well in the contest in their final pool game with the Sunshine Girls, after winning the middle two quarters and just two goals behind going into the final stanza. But then the Jamaicans hit the gas pedal and dominated the final 15 minutes, 18-9.
Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua was happy with the efforts at the defensive end of the court, with Karin Burger and Kate Heffernan stealing ball from Jamaican hands. But converting those gains was a sticking point for the Ferns - the youth and inexperience in their attack often guilty of throwing it away.
"I think that’s been the story of the tournament really. We are getting some good ball defensively, and they don’t come that often when you’ve got big people like that in Jamaica," Taurua told Sky Sport. "So once again we need some good drives coming out of our defensive end - stop going side-to-side. But also our connection from defence to attack needs work."
Taurua stuck with her starting seven until the final quarter, but by then the Sunshine Girls had well and truly hit their groove. Especially with goal shoot Jhaniele Fowler in dominant form, shooting a perfect game with her 49 attempts.
“It killed us that last quarter…When we put the ball up in the air it’s going to get chewed up,” she told Sky Sport.
“Our ability to take the ball through and attack was not as fluid, I think, and we struggled under the defensive prowess of Jamaica.”
Circle defender Kelly Jury played a full game at wing defence, Taurua’s gamble not paying off this time. The Kiwis didn’t have time to set up their zone defence, the Caribbean style of play too fluid and quick.
Taurua made it clear she wanted her seven to stick on court for as long as possible.
“There were moments where we were ready to pull somebody and then they came up with something that was quite wonderful. So we were on the brink, but they were able to settle,” she explained.
“And those little things are going to cost, all little lapses, but hey, it’s another day tomorrow.”
The Jamaicans were more heavily penalised overall, but tidied up their act by the fourth quarter, having only nine penalties to the Ferns’ 18 in the last quarter.
A lot of the Ferns calls were for offensive contacts, something Taurua says is an area they must work on before the semis.
“Once again we’re getting called when we’re putting our arms up… when we keep movement that seems to be all right, and get the timing right," she said.
The 11-goal loss was the biggest the Ferns have ever experienced at a Netball World Cup - a bitter pill for captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio to swallow.
“All we can do is stay united from here and figure out how we can be really proud of the product we put out on court,” she said. “Because we owe it to everybody here, we owe it to our country, we owe it to the dress.
“Our game plan worked when we really committed to it, when we did it well. There were just times when we just let off a little bit and it showed how the score crept out then.”
Earlier in the day, England beat Australia, 56-55, to qualify top of their pool for the semifinal. Australia had an eight-goal lead halfway through the third quarter, but a seven-goal run from the English spurred the Roses on.
England shot at 98 percent, with the Diamonds having four more attempts. It was England’s first win over the Aussies at a Netball World Cup.
There’s a chance, now, neither Australia or New Zealand will make the final - for the first time since South Africa played in the 1995 final in Birmingham, thanks to Irene van Dyk.
There’s also a chance the Ferns may not meet their trans-Tasman rivals at all this World Cup - another first in netball history. There could be a few of those firsts once this tournament is done and dusted on Monday morning.
*The Silver Ferns play England in the Netball World Cup semifinal at 8.30pm on Saturday on Sky Sport 2. England will play Jamaica at 2am on Sunday, on Sky Sport 2.
