On a Christchurch night when a long rivalry had come down to one final stretch, Australia's Diamonds took the Constellation Cup from New Zealand's Silver Ferns in a tense seven-minute extra period. The victory answers a series that had been balanced at two wins apiece, and it carries the weight of a team returning to a city where it had not won since 2021. Those who watched understood that the trophy was decided less by the dominant moments of the match than by the composure to hold on when a lead had slipped away.
Diamonds Edge Silver Ferns 12-11 in Extra-Time Thriller to Reclaim Constellation Cup
Four seconds left, and Sophie Garbin put it through the ring
Mark
Why does a 12-11 result in a seven-minute period matter this much?
Mimi
Because it decided the whole series. The teams were level at 2-2 after New Zealand won the fourth Test 62-57, so those 14 minutes carried the Cup.
Luke
Worth noting the format is what made it that tight. Captain Liz Watson herself called it a weird format.
Mark
What stands out about how Australia closed it out?
Mimi
They ran the clock. After New Zealand levelled at 11-11, the Diamonds passed the ball around and fed Sophie Garbin, who scored with four seconds left.
Luke
Right, and that's a fact of the match. Whether it was a planned strategy is our inference. The report says they managed the final minute expertly, not that it was scripted.
Mark
And the mood afterwards?
Mimi
Mixed. Sunday Aryang fell heavily before full-time was called, and Kiera Austin was in tears, before the win sank in.
Luke
We don't know the extent of Aryang's fall or any injury. The reporting doesn't say.
Mark
Is there a bigger pattern?
Mimi
It's Australia's 12th Constellation Cup series win since 2010, and the first win in New Zealand since 2021.
Der Puls
- Sophie Garbin's shot with four seconds left turned a tied contest into a 12-11 Australian win.
- The Diamonds, who had led after every quarter, saw a three-goal final-quarter cushion vanish as the Silver Ferns surged.
- Sunday Aryang went down heavily and the Australian players were visibly shaken, with Kiera Austin in tears.
- Australia ran down the clock in the extra period and fed the ball to Garbin, denying New Zealand any response.
- The result lands Australia's 12th Constellation Cup series win since 2010 and completes their trophy cabinet.
On a Christchurch night when a long rivalry had come down to one final stretch, Australia's Diamonds took the Constellation Cup from New Zealand's Silver Ferns in a tense seven-minute extra period. The victory answers a series that had been balanced at two wins apiece, and it carries the weight of a team returning to a city where it had not won since 2021. Those who watched understood that the trophy was decided less by the dominant moments of the match than by the composure to hold on when a lead had slipped away.
With four seconds left in Christchurch on Wednesday night, Sophie Garbin received the ball in the goal circle and put it through the ring. That shot gave the Diamonds a 12-11 win in extra time and returned the Constellation Cup to Australia.
The series had finished level at 2-2 after the Silver Ferns took the fourth Test 62-57, so the decider was played as two seven-minute halves. Australia's last win in New Zealand had also come in Christchurch, in 2021, and they were celebrating there again.
The Diamonds had led after every quarter of the fourth Test, only to watch a three-goal lead slip away in the final stanza. In the mini-match they settled, led 7-5 at half-time, and managed the clock once New Zealand levelled at 11-11. Garbin's last-second goal ended it before the Silver Ferns could answer.
The celebration was subdued. Sunday Aryang fell heavily before full-time, and Kiera Austin was in tears. Captain Liz Watson called the win awesome but said the finish was not, and described the extra format as weird, while praising a great series from the whole squad.
With four seconds left on the clock in Christchurch on Wednesday night, Sophie Garbin received the ball in the Diamonds' goal circle and put it through the ring. That shot made it 12-11 in extra time and brought the Constellation Cup back to Australia.
The cup was decided in what the series calls Series Decider Time, two seven-minute halves, because the Silver Ferns had won the fourth Test 62-57 to level the series at 2-2. Australia's last win in New Zealand came in 2021, also in Christchurch, and the Diamonds were celebrating in the same city again.
New Zealand started the mini-match with a 3-0 lead. The Diamonds, who had given up a three-goal advantage in the final quarter of the fourth Test, settled and led 7-5 at half-time. The Silver Ferns drew level at 11-11 in the second half. From there Australia managed the clock. The Diamonds worked the ball around the court to run down the time, then fed it to Garbin in the closing seconds, which denied New Zealand another chance to respond.
The finish was not a clean celebration. Sunday Aryang fell heavily before full-time was called, and the Diamonds looked shell-shocked, with goal attack Kiera Austin in tears. As the trophy came into their hands, the result began to sink in. Captain Liz Watson said getting the win was awesome, though she conceded the way it finished was not, and called the extra 14 minutes a weird format. She added that everyone had a great series and that the team was proud to finish with the Cup.
For most of the fourth Test it looked as if Australia would take the series 3-1. They led after every quarter, a strong response to a disappointing third Test in Hamilton on Sunday. With Garbin and Austin as a two-pronged shooting attack, the Diamonds opened up a 17-12 lead. Grace Nweke missed two early shots for New Zealand but missed only one more all night, finishing with 56 goals from 59 attempts. The margin was a single goal in the second quarter, leaving Australia ahead 33-27 at the main break.
A vocal home crowd lifted the Silver Ferns, who levelled at 37-37 midway through the third quarter. The Diamonds pulled away again and led 46-43 going into the last. Then momentum swung. Veteran goal keeper Kelly Jackson proved a major disrupter in the Australian goal circle, and New Zealand took the lead by pouncing on a turnover with just over nine minutes remaining. They never gave it back in regulation, and the five-goal margin was commanding.
It still was not enough to keep the cup. The extra period belonged to Australia, who won their 12th Constellation Cup series since 2010 and completed their trophy cabinet again.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
To get the win is awesome. I guess the way it finished, not so awesome.— Liz Watson, Diamonds captain
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Das Original lesen bei ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) ↗
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