Netball World Cup final 2023 LIVE: Result and reaction as England lose to Australia in first-ever final

England fell to a 45-61 defeat as Australia claimed their 12th Netball World Cup title

(Getty Images)

England fell to defeat in their first-ever Netball World Cup title as Australia secured a comprehensive 61-45 victory to take home their 12th World Cup.

The Roses weathered an early storm to stay level at 13-13 after the first quarter but Australia’s experience and pressure began to show as the Diamonds pulled clear to lead 27-23 at half-time. That advantage was extended to ten points after a blistering third quarter that was littered with errors from Jess Thirlby’s England side.

England had beaten Australia 56-55 in the group stages but Stacey Marinkovich’s side would enact their revenge in the final as they cruised home in the final quarter, eventually winning by a 16-point margin after a clinical final 15 minutes.

Victory for Australia sees them claim gold a year on from victory in the Commonwealth Games while England must settle for silver which equals the nation’s best result at the tournament.

Follow live updates of the Netball World Cup final below:

NETBALL WORLD CUP FINAL - LIVE

• Australia claim their 12th World Cup with 61-45 victory over England
• England take on Australia hoping to win the Netball World Cup for the first time
• Roses beat defending champions New Zealand 46-40 in the semi-finals
• Australia beat Jamaica to reach the final but lost to England in the group stages

[6 August 2023 17:12 · Ben Fleming]

Netball World Cup Live - England 0-1 Australia

Australia get a turnover straight out of the gate as they net the first point of the game.

[6 August 2023 17:10 · Ben Fleming]

Netball World Cup Live - England vs Australia

The players are out on the court, the anthems have been sung and the final is just moments away from getting started!

[6 August 2023 17:10 · Ben Fleming]

Netball World Cup Live - England vs Australia

One area in which England do trump Australia is experience with the Roses’ team having 909 total player caps to the 487 of the Diamonds. 40-year-old Jade Clark will offer a vast amount of experience off the bench while Geva Mentor will play her final match today for England after six World Cup appearances and 174 caps.

[6 August 2023 17:05 · Ben Fleming]

Netball World Cup Live - England vs Australia

One area that will be key is the influence off the bench. Fran Williams made a crucial interception in the fourth quarter against New Zealand and will be looking to have a similar impact again when she’s introduced to the action.

Both Kiera Austin and Sophie Garbin have also enjoyed great World Cups off the bench for Australia and will no doubt play a big part in this game’s result when called upon by head coach Stacey Marinkovich.

[6 August 2023 16:53 · Ben Fleming]

Netball World Cup Live - England vs Australia

And here is how Australia line up, with head coach Stacey Marinkovich naming an unchanged lineup from the semi-final against Jamaica.

Australia starting seven: Courtney Bruce, Jo Weston, Ashleigh Brazill, Paige Hadley, Liz Watson, Steph Wood, Cara Koenen

Subs: Sarah Klau, Sunday Aryang, Jamie-Lee Price, Sophie Garbin, Kiera Austin.

[6 August 2023 16:41 · Ben Fleming]

Netball World Cup Live - England vs Australia

We are just twenty minutes away from the final between England and Australia but we have just had the conclusion of the bronze medal match between Jamaica and New Zealand.

It’s a famous victory for the Sunshine Girls as they run out 52-45 winners against the defending champions, New Zealand.

[6 August 2023 16:27 · Ben Fleming]

Netball World Cup Live - England vs Australia

We have the first bit of teams new and England name an unchanged Roses side for the final:

England starting seven: Geva Mentor, Laura Malcolm, Layla Guscoth, Imogen Allison, Helen Housby, Nat Metcalf, Eleanor Cardwell.

Subs: Jade Clarke, Funmi Fadoju, Chelsea Pitman, Liv Tchine, Fran Williams.

[6 August 2023 16:23 · Ben Fleming]

Netball World Cup Live

And in case you missed England’s semi-final, the Red Roses knockout out defending champions New Zealand after a nail-biting final quarter.

With the scores locked at 32-32, the decisive moment came with four minutes remaining with England 41-40 ahead when Fran Williams made a brilliant clean intercept to help the Roses extend their lead.

When Helen Housby missed a chance to put England 43-40 up with the clock ticking down, Eleanor Cardwell pounced on the rebound to make it. Imogen Allison then produced another crucial touch to keep the ball in play as England added five points without reply and it was left to Housby to seal a historic win.

Read more below:

[6 August 2023 16:17 · Ben Fleming]

Netball World Cup Live

In the final, England take on a familiar foe in the form of Australia. The Roses defeated the Diamonds for the first time in the World Cup earlier this week in the group stages but must do so again in the final if they are to claim their first-ever World Cup triumph.

Here is a recap of how that famous victory went down:

[6 August 2023 16:10 · Ben Fleming]

Netball World Cup Live

Here are the all key details ahead of the final:

When is the Netball World Cup final?

England play Australia in the Netball World Cup final at 5pm on Sunday 6 August.

How can I watch it?

It will be shown live on the BBC, with coverage starting on BBC Two and the BBC iPlayer at 4:45pm BST.