Leeds Rhinos Netball boss hoping England's netball stars carry lessons learned into 2024

Huddersfield-born former Yorkshire Jets player Imogen Allison was on the court in Cape Town as England beat Australia in the group phase and knocked out holders New Zealand in the semi-final before falling to the resurgent, experienced Aussies in their first-ever final.

Liana Leota, the director of netball at Leeds Rhinos, was on the bench in her capacity as an assistant coach with England.

For Leota, an in-built siege mentality was at the heart of their run to the final.

“We were written off pretty early so we closed our bubble down,” said Leota, as England beat Barbados, Malawi, Scotland, Tonga and Fiji in the pool stage to set up a shootout with Australia.

“We just told the players keep the noise out and focus on yourself and in hindsight that was the best thing we could have done. We took it game by game.

“Beating Australia first in our last pool game just gave us the confidence to play fearlessly against New Zealand when it came to the semi-final.”

For Allison, 25, who took up netball at Brooksbank School in Halifax aged 11 and emerged through the Yorkshire pathway to a Super League career at Bath and from next season Manchester Thunder, it was a career high.

“I was more nervous the night before the semi-final than I was the night before the final,” Allison told The Yorkshire Post about the knockout game against holders New Zealand.

“Knowing England had previously never got past the semi-final, that was nerve racking.

“And that semi was absolute madness; quarters one, two and three all ended in a draw so it was like playing for no reason, all down to that last 15 minutes, but we were able to pulled away.

“For players like Geva Mentor and Jade Clarke who have been to six World Cups and never got to a final; you look at their faces and see how huge it is.

“I was doing it for me but I was also doing it for them.”

Seasoned Australia, World Cup winners on 11 previous occasions, reasserted their authority by beating England 61-45 in the final.

Leota remembers: “For the final this was our last dance, let’s just give it our best shot.

“But these Aussies are so tenacious, they’ve been in those finals time and time again, they’re relentless. You’ve got to find new ways to get free or look after the ball.

“It was an awesome summer. It was a huge achievement and something we aimed for.

“Now it’s a case of how do we learn from that experience and back it up.”

England’s next chance to do that comes in the four-team Nations Cup next month which culminates in England’s first games in Yorkshire when they play a group game and medal round at First Direct Arena in Leeds on the weekend of January 27/28.