Once seen as a game for young ladies, there’s nothing ladylike about modern netball. It’s played aggressively and with intensity, both on the court and off it.

In 2003, tough-talking Australian couch Norma Plummer labelled the New Zealand side “a bunch of scrubbers”. In July this year, following a 52-40 defeat to New Zealand in Brisbane, she accused the Kiwis of using spies to infiltrate the Australian camp.

Despite her claims, her team went on to even the two-match series with a 10-goal win against the Silver Ferns in Sydney. Which means the pressure is on as the two arch rivals prepare to do battle in the three-match Fisher & Paykel Series being played in New Zealand in October.  

According to long-time sports journalist, Joseph Romanos, the unexpected Australian win on July 26 has given an extra edge to the October test series.

“Everyone expected the New Zealanders to win the last series two-nil. Now both teams think they can win, so there’s a bit of pressure on New Zealand to go out and prove they can do it.” 

Historic rivalry

Australia and New Zealand have dominated world netball for the last 25 years. But Trans-Tasman rivalry on the netball court is older than that. The two countries first faced each other on a grass court in Melbourne in 1938.  At that time the game was called basketball (its name was changed to netball in 1970), and it was played wearing black woollen gym frocks, ties and black stockings.

Before the 1938 game there was a lot of discussion about what rules would be used – the  Australians’ seven-a-side or the Kiwis’ nine-a-side.  In the end, according to Romanos, the Kiwis gave in to make sure the game went ahead. The score was an embarrassing 40 goals to 11.

“The Australians won, which they’ve mentioned often since,” points out Romanos.

Things didn’t improve much when the Australians made a return trip to New Zealand in 1948.  The home team lost their first match in Dunedin by 27-16, prompting one newspaper to report that the New Zealanders “seemed bewildered by the long passing in their opponents’ attack”.

New Zealand’s 1960  team

The turning point came in 1959, when New Zealand finally adopted the seven-a-side rules for both its domestic and international games. The first “true” international tests were played the following year when New Zealand toured Australia, winning their first game and narrowly losing the next two.  As in the past, the 1960 team played in black gym frocks and black stockings, as well as bras and girdles donated in an early sponsorship deal by lingerie company Berlei. Among the players was Lois Muir, who later went on to become the national coach, and one of New Zealand netball’s most respected figures.

They were an enterprising bunch.  According to a report in The New Zealand Herald, when the skirts for the team uniform turned out to be too small they simply “took charge of the hotel sewing machine and set about a mass alteration scheme”.

Today’s Silver Ferns

These days, no-one would expect the Silver Ferns to carry out their own clothing alternations. But they are expected to win – especially when playing Australia. Apart from July’s unexpected loss the Ferns have been on a winning streak in recent months, winning nine of the last 12 tests against Australia.  Joseph Romanos reckons he knows how they can make that twelve out of 15 in October.

"They have to beat them up, jump on them and squash them" he says.

Article by Ruth Nichol 

Fisher & Paykel Series,  Silver Ferns vs Australia

• October 12, 2006, Events Centre, Wellington
• October 14, 2006,  Trust  Stadium, Auckland
• October 16, 2006, Westpac Centre, Christchurch