After a patchy showing against the South Africans in the opening test on Sunday night, the Ferns had a long list of work-ons for their final outing and they appeared to have ticked off most of their targets, with coach Waimarama Taumaunu testing several different combinations in each area of the court.
With the Ferns set to fly out for Sydney on Monday ahead of their opening match of the tournament against Barbados, the post-match formalities included a special on-court tribute for the Silver Ferns, with each member of the team was presented with a farewell gift from a young fan.
After an unexpectedly tight opening half in their first meeting against South Africa on Sunday, the Ferns were more consistently dominant last night, keeping the Proteas to less than nine goals every quarter, including just four goals in the final spell.
Unhappy with the ease at which the South Africans were able to deliver the ball into their shooting circle the other night, Taumaunu demanded improvement from her defensive unit. The Ferns responded with a much stronger effort last night, cutting off the long bombs into the circle by pressuring the ball further up the court and forcing the visitors to work the ball around, which created more opportunities to pick up turnover ball.
By halftime every New Zealand player had at least one defensive gain to their name as a result of the full court pressure, with midcourter Grace Rasmussen particularly impressive, picking up three intercepts. But the Ferns didn't always make the most of their opportunities, with some wobbly early shooting from Bailey Mes and a high turnover count restricting New Zealand's lead to 15-8 at the first break.
They picked up their act in the second period, finding better fluency in their through court play, while Maria Tutaia, who returned to the Ferns starting line-up last night after her late scratching from Sunday's match with a minor ankle injury, sparked to life with some brilliant long-range shooting.
Tutaia finished her 30 minute spell with an 88 per cent return, converting 15 of her 17 shots.
With the match the Ferns last official outing before they take on Barbados in the World Cup opener, Taumaunu took the opportunity to ring in the changes in the second half, testing new combinations in each area of the court.
Shannon Francois took the court in place of Rasmussen at wing attack, while Jodi Brown replaced Tutaia at goal attack to form a previously unseen forward line, while Katrina Grant and Phoenix Karaka got their opportunity to impress in the defensive circle.
It took the Ferns some time to adjust to the changes on court, as South Africa pushed them hard through the early stages of the spell, but as the quarter wore on the Ferns settled into a more consistent rhythm on attack to hold a commanding 48-24 lead heading into the final turn.
Leading by the same margin in which the Ferns won Sunday's opening clash, Taumaunu was comfortable enough to introduce young shooter Malia Paseka in the final quarter for just her second test cap.
It proved to be the Ferns strongest quarter of the night, with the homeside outscoring the Proteas 19-4 in the final spell after visiting coach Norma Plummer also made a string of changes to her line-up.
- Dana Johannsen of the New Zealand Herald
