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

The head coach of the England netball team has said the players are “gutted” after losing to Australia in the World Cup final. The Vitality Roses’ hopes of glory were crushed in a 61-45 defeat in Cape Town on Sunday.

The Roses were making their maiden World Cup final appearance and knew they had to be at their best to win the trophy.

Despite the setback, the tournament has sparked greater interest in the sport, which fans hope will act as a “catalyst” that will inspire more women and girls to join grassroots teams.

England’s hopes of Netball World Cup glory were crushed by a 61-45 final defeat to Australia in Cape Town.

The Roses were making their maiden World Cup final appearance and knew they had to be at their best to win the trophy.

But Australia dominated the turnover battle and, after the first-quarter honours were shared, steadily built an unassailable lead for a 12th World Cup crown.

England named an unchanged side for the third successive game, with Geva Mentor making her final appearance after 22 years in Roses colours.

The Roses, bronze medallists at the last three World Cups and six times overall, were on a high after beating Australia 56-55 on Thursday and defending champions New Zealand in the semi-finals.

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Well, not the result England would have been hoping for but a valiant effort from the Roses in their first-ever World Cup final.

There are so many positives to take from this tournament which saw them beat Australia in the group stages and defending champions, New Zealand in the semi-finals.

In the end, Australia’s experience and quality proved just too much on the grandest of stages but that experience will stand Jess Thirlby’s side in good stead as they look to build on this tournament and contend once again in the future.

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England’s Eleanor Cardwell speaking to BBC Sport: “We had the better of them the other day and they had the better of us today. They were more clinical with the ball, they were hungry and turning over a lot more.

“There are so many positives. This is the first World Cup final for every name on the team sheet and a lot of those Diamonds players have a whole lot of experience.

“This is a first for us and I am super proud of us making history. Last year at the Commonwealth Games we came fourth and were gutted, this year we’ve got a silver medal.”

England head coach, Jess Thirlby speaking to BBC Sport: “Of course, we are really grateful for that silver medal and over time I’m sure that will sink but right now we are obviously going to be gutted with a losing margin like that in our first final but such is the difference between a team that have won 12 of them and a team that have just broken into their first one.

“It’s a tough lesson and I’m sure it will sink in in terms of that history we have made but for now I think it’s okay to feel a little bit disappointed just because of the level of belief and capability we have as a team.

“It was always going to be a tough ask, and you just can’t throw the ball away like we did. I just want to say I’m incredibly proud, despite the final result, and we had to battle to be there, but we just fell short today.

“This is a different generation. There are netballers out there, younger than these guys, and all they are going to know is that the Roses make World Cup finals. That is a really special thing to build to given to our netball family and inspire them.”

Australia’s Ashleigh Brazill, who is retiring after this World Cup, speaks to BBC Sport: “For that last ten minutes, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. To beat England like that, they beat us in the rounds...and that just got everyone fighting. We really wanted to beat Jamaica so we could play against these guys again.

“We’ve done it the way we wanted to - the last two games is some of the best netball we have played in a long time. I’m just so proud of the girls because it’s taken all of us, the entire 22, and the fact we are standing here World Champions, I couldn’t have asked for a better ending.”

It also means that Australia now add the World Cup title to their Commonwealth gold from last year in Birmingham.

After a disappointing few years, they’ve re-asserted themselves as the dominant force in the sport.

In the end, it all got away from England in that final. The scoreline certainly won’t reflect how close that first half was but mistakes in possession and all-round superb performance from Australia saw them pull clear in the final two quarters.

There’s nothing England can do in the final few minutes and Australia continue to pile on the points in the final minutes.

With that, the full-time whistle goes and AUSTRALIA ARE THE NETBALL WORLD CUP CHAMPIONS!

The England players look out on their feet now on the court as Australia continue to pile on the points and find the turnovers. The lead is now 14 with two minutes left.