For most of netball’s history, New Zealand versus England was not much of a contest. That is no longer true.
Over the past five years the two teams have traded series wins, England has knocked New Zealand out of a World Cup, and their meetings now routinely finish within a handful of goals. This page covers the results, the turning points, and where the rivalry sits after the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Recent Silver Ferns v England results
| Date | Match | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | Commonwealth Games semi-final, Glasgow | New Zealand 61–54 |
| 19 Nov 2025 | Series decider, Manchester | New Zealand 55–49 |
| 16 Nov 2025 | Test two, London | England 61–58 |
| 15 Nov 2025 | Test one, London | New Zealand 61–58 |
| Sep–Oct 2024 | Taini Jamison Trophy, New Zealand | England won series 2–1 |
| Aug 2023 | World Cup semi-final, Cape Town | England 46–40 |
| Sep 2023 | Taini Jamison Trophy, New Zealand | New Zealand won series 2–1 |
How one-sided it used to be
The scale of the historic imbalance is easy to underestimate. When England beat New Zealand 42–38 in October 2014, it was reported as only their fourth win over the Silver Ferns in more than 50 years.
England’s own record reflects the same pattern. Their first international was a 25–3 win over Scotland at Wembley in 1949, their best Netball World Cup finishes are second place in 1975 and 2023, and their only Commonwealth Games gold came in 2018.
For decades, New Zealand’s serious rival was Australia rather than England — a rivalry covered in our guide to the Silver Ferns versus Australia and the Constellation Cup.
