Photo GettyThe Silver Ferns opened their Constellation Cup campaign with a crushing 68-56 loss against Australia in Sydney yesterday. "They took the game by the throat right from the start and we never responded," admitted Ferns coach Janine Southby. Without Langman directing proceedings from centre, the Ferns attack struggled early on as the connection between Francois and wing attack Grace Rasmussen looked frayed. The suffocating Australian defence, led by the tenacious Sharni Layton, only worked to further confuse the Ferns attack with players hesitant to let the ball into the shooting circle. With the Australian wing attack afforded greater freedom in the third spell, the Diamonds kicked the scoring up another level, outscoring the Ferns 22-16 for the quarter.

Source: Otago Daily Times October 09, 2016 18:11 UTC