England face New Zealand in Netball semi-finals after overcoming slow start against South Africa

The Roses beat South Africa 58-54 to book their place in Netball's last four, where they will face the Birmingham 2022 bronze medallists New Zealand on Saturday.

After big celebrations at the final whistle, goal keeper Halimat Adio credited her team's ability to never give up. 

“It's my first Commonwealth Games and my first semi-final, so we're all really excited," she said. 

"A lot of us are experiencing so many firsts at these Commonwealth Games.

“We kept saying, ‘We're not going to win it in the first quarter. We're not going to win it in the second quarter. The only thing we can do is keep that winning mindset’, and that's what we did."

After falling behind by six points, England fought back in the second quarter to trail 29-28 at half-time.

The decibels then rose around The Hydro as England went ahead after the break, making successful interceptions and building momentum.

“We came out and put in a performance," the 26-year-old said.

"The defence were on it, the attack were on it and we played really smart today. 

“We knew when to keep possession and when to run the clock down a little bit, and we did that so well. I'm hoping we can do that again (in the semi-finals).”

pos Pos.	team	g	s	b
1	Australia AUS	70	45	56	171
2	England ENG	29	45	36	110

While maintaining a four-point lead for the majority of the final quarter, it became a much more physical game at the business end of the court.

“I try to play a few mind games,” Adio said. 

“I'm only six foot, I'm not the tallest goal keeper, so it's about figuring out what my strengths are.

"(Australia's) Courtney Bruce is the best at mind games, and I watch what she does and try to bring some of that into my own game.”

Alongside those psychological ploys, Adio said of her defensive style: “I'm a very chaotic defender. My feet seem to move at a different time from my arms, so I'm just everywhere. I like to say I'm a bit chaotic, but it's good chaos.”

South Africa’s Elmere van der Berg said her side became complacent after taking an early lead.

“We need to keep playing the teams that are above us in the world rankings,” she said.

“We need to get stronger and be more physical. Sometimes we sit back and let other teams be physical to us.”

Earlier in the day, Uganda disappointed the home crowd by beating Scotland 65-56, with another chance for Gloria Ayaa to showcase her talent on the global stage.

The 23-year-old grew up in the poverty-stricken Acholi Quarters in Uganda before gaining a scholarship to stay in school and make her way to elite-level Netball.

“My life before Netball was really hard," she said.

"It was really tough because growing up in the slums is not something easy.