Netball World Cup 2023 final: What next for ‘gutted but grateful’ England after Australia loss?

As the clip coiled down successful England's archetypal Netball World Cup final, the Roses looked dejected.

Afterwards, arsenic the squad came together, determination was clip to bespeak connected what they had achieved.

The Roses person made immense strides, archetypal beating Australia successful the excavation signifier and past knocking retired defending champions New Zealand successful the semi-finals.

But a last against Australia, present 12-time champions, proved a measurement excessively acold arsenic England looked over-awed by the occasion, portion the Diamonds exuded class.

England were disappointed when, 4 years aft their iconic triumph astatine the 2018 Commonwealth Games, they failed to triumph a medal. But immoderate of those demons person been enactment to furniture implicit the 8 days successful South Africa.

A metallic medal shows the advancement that has been made - but what adjacent for England?

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'Next clip we are getting the gold'

It is lone the 2nd clip successful England's past they person bettered 3rd spot astatine the World Cup, having won metallic successful 1975 erstwhile the tourney was a round-robin event.

England permission South Africa having beaten the world's apical 2 teams astatine a World Cup for the archetypal clip arsenic they went wherever nary Roses broadside had gone before.

Head manager Jess Thirlby has contended with a drawstring of important retirements successful the years earlier the World Cup, including skipper Serena Kersten, Eboni Usoro-Brown and Jo Harten.

Geva Mentor volition adhd her sanction to that list, retiring from planetary work aft competing astatine her sixth World Cup, portion it seems improbable the 39-year-old Jade Clarke volition look successful the Roses formal again.

When the buzzer went astatine full-time, Mentor instantly threw her limb astir rising prima Funmi Fadoju, signalling the commencement of a caller epoch for England.

Thirlby and her squad volition instrumentality this acquisition and physique connected it. As Imogen Allison said afterwards: "If this is the archetypal clip successful a final, adjacent clip we are getting the gold."

"We wanted to animate and amusement pridefulness and passion," Thirlby told Sky Sports.

"Something peculiar we volition instrumentality distant is that determination are youngsters retired determination that cognize nary antithetic than watching a Roses squad successful a World Cup final.

"I anticipation the generations that are inspired to propulsion the reddish formal connected tin assistance america marque much finals successful the future."

'Gutted' England indispensable fto nonaccomplishment 'sink in'

England volition rue the mistakes they made against Australia, with Thirlby saying she was disappointed with however her broadside fto the crippled tally distant from them.

"We are evidently gutted with a losing borderline similar that but specified is the quality betwixt seasoned finalists and a squad successful their archetypal final," she said.

"We are truly grateful for that metallic medal and implicit clip I'm definite it volition descend in."

Questions volition beryllium asked of Thirlby implicit the timings and choices of her substitutions successful the last with Chelsea Pitman, who had made an interaction successful the excavation lucifer against Australia, not introduced until the Diamonds had each but secured victory.

Ultimately, though, England were overwhelmed by the magnitude of the juncture and an infinitely much experienced opponent.

"Just to get to this constituent was a monolithic inquire - but don't instrumentality that arsenic complacency," Thirlby said.

"We weren't rather astute enough. We dug heavy but I ever felt we were much hesitant than we person been previously."

England indispensable present guarantee their efforts successful Cape Town person not been successful vain.

The Roses' Commonwealth triumph successful 2018 saw a spike successful information figures successful the UK, with attendance astatine some planetary and home matches rising.

But determination is statement astir however overmuch netball capitalised connected that success, arsenic the athletics struggled to vie with the important concern enactment into the nationalist women's shot and cricket teams.

Playing opportunities, astatine planetary level, are besides limited. With the 2026 Commonwealth Games presently without a host, a caller propulsion to get into the Olympics has ne'er felt much necessary.

For now, England cognize they person what it takes to instrumentality connected the world's champion - but they volition anticipation they bash not person to hold excessively agelong for different accidental astatine glory.