England Netball reach World Cup final for first time as Jess Thirlby’s Roses beat defending champion New Zealand 46-40 in Cape Town

England reached the World Cup final for the first time in their history by beating defending champions New Zealand 46-40 after attacking in the last quarter.

The Roses are on track to become the only country besides Australia or New Zealand to lift the trophy, apart from 1979 when Trinidad and Tobago shared it with them.

Jess Thirlby’s team will play against Australia in the final today, three days after beating the 11-time champions in a group stage match.

“We are so grateful to be given the opportunity to play in a World Cup final,” said co-captain Layla Guscoth. ‘I can not believe it.’

England, who have now beaten the world’s two top teams in the space of days, overcame some shaky shooting to produce a defensive masterclass, with stalwart Geva Mentor and Guscoth working tirelessly to win the ball.

The game in Cape Town was tied at 32-32 going into the final quarter and it was clear that something special was needed, and that magical moment came from Fran Williams.

Williams, who had also produced the game-changing moment against Australia, leaped out of nowhere to snatch the ball away from Gina Crampton, allowing Helen Housby to score to give England a slim lead.

Thirlby’s side then turned the screw with a five-point run that went unanswered, allowing Housby to seal a famous victory with the final goal. The head coach said: ‘Overcoming Australia and then finishing a game like that with a run of five or six goals against the defending champions.

“I think the mental side of our game has shifted a lot. Sometimes it takes 56 minutes to get the reward, but they persisted and finally got it.

“Every team will say they are close and they have learned and grown, but the last few games there’s just been a different feeling to this campaign.

“Sometimes you just have to persevere through the ups and downs, the wins and the losses, and we did.”

The success in South Africa marks an incredible turnaround, 12 months after they failed to even medal in the Commonwealth Games.

Co-captain Natalie Metcalf said: ‘It’s been a tough year but we’ve done everything we can to get there.

“We have to celebrate and enjoy the moment, what a moment it is for English netball. But we have to make sure that we stick to the processes and stay consistent, as we have done throughout the tournament.’

Australia booked their spot in the final by beating Jamaica 57-54 in another thriller.