Vitality Roses Squad confirmed for International Test Series

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A squad of 15 players have been selected to represent England in two test series to be played away against Australia and New Zealand this autumn.

The Vitality Roses will play Australia in a three-match test series on Thursday 19 September at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, on Sunday 22 September at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena and on Wednesday 25 September at Bendigo Stadium.

They will then travel to New Zealand to face the Silver Ferns in the Taini Jamison Trophy on Sunday 29 September at The Trusts Arena in Auckland, on Wednesday 2 October at Te Rauparaha Arena in Porirua and on Sunday 6 October at ILT Stadium Southland in Invercargill.

The squad selected for this international tour features eight athletes who were part of the history-making squad who took England to their first ever Netball World Cup final in 2023. Meanwhile, Lois Pearson has the opportunity to make her Vitality Roses debut, with this marking her first inclusion in a senior Vitality Roses squad. The squad also sees the return of 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Beth Cobden who made her last appearance for England in 2022 against Australia and returned to the Vitality Roses programme for the 2024-25 season after a year away from the programme.

The Vitality Roses last met both Australia and New Zealand at the Vitality Netball Nations Cup (VNNC) in January 2024 where England were narrowly defeated 59-61 by Australia in the group stage match, followed by a 49-69 loss in the final. Against New Zealand, England picked up a 58-57 win in a thrilling match that was decided in the final seconds.

Vitality Roses Head Coach Jess Thirlby commented: “I’m both excited and curious to see what this evolving Vitality Roses squad can do against the world number one and two as we see familiar names and a potential Vitality Roses debutant alike earning selection for these upcoming series.

“With the Netball World Cup in 2027 firmly in our minds, we continue to look to grab these opportunities to test ourselves individually and collectively as we aim to know and close the gap against our toughest opponents. We have familiar and experienced players, some still transitioning from what has been an impact role to a starting seven role since the Netball World Cup, as well as those with few or no caps as yet against these nations. We also have a potential Vitality Roses debutant in Lois Pearson after impressing in this year’s Netball Super League. There’s so much to be excited about in this squad, not least the welcome return of Beth Cobden after a year out of the Vitality Roses programme in 2023. Her character and leadership add strength to a team full of leaders across all areas of the court.

“We have made huge progress over the last few years, proving we can go toe-to-toe and beat these world leading teams in standalone performances, but we know we need to find a way to compete for longer and sustain and elevate our performance levels game on game, and there’s no better opportunity to do that than these back-to-back series.”

Vitality Roses squad for the Australia Test Series and the Taini Jamison Trophy:

More information on the broadcast plans for these matches will be shared closer to the time.

The full list of fixtures are as follows:

Thursday 19 September, 10:00am BST (7:00pm AEST) – Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide
Sunday 22 September, 7:00am BST (4:00pm AEST) – Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney
Wednesday 25 September, 10:00am BST (7:00pm AEST) – Bendigo Stadium, Bendigo
Sunday 29 September, 7:35am BST (7:35pm NZDT) – The Trusts Arena, Auckland
Wednesday 2 October, 7:35am BST (7:35pm NZDT) – Te Rauparaha Arena, Porirua
Sunday 6 October, 7:35am BST (7:35pm NZDT) – ILT Stadium Southland, Invercargill

With thanks to England Netball