[Source: World Netball]

In a dominant display at the Netball World Cup in South Africa, Australia dealt a crushing blow to the Fijian Pearls, defeating Unaisi Rokoura’s team 101-32.

From the very beginning, Fiji struggled to keep up with the Diamonds, who broke the 100-point mark for the first time in the tournament.

Fiji’s defense was suffocated by Australia’s relentless pressure, leading to numerous forced errors and self-destructive moments for the Pearls.

The Australian team’s light and agile players, coupled with their height advantage, worked in their favor against Fiji.

This loss will undoubtedly sting for the Fiji side, as they are not accustomed to conceding 100 goals in netball.

The match’s outcome was evident early on, as Australia took a commanding 23-9 lead after the first quarter and stretched it to 46-18 by halftime.

The gap widened further, with Australia leading 72-27 at the end of the third quarter.

Perfect play

The Diamonds on song as they pile the pressure onto Fiji #NWC2023 | @AussieDiamonds pic.twitter.com/ZHvFreZEDn

— World Netball (@WorldNetball_) July 30, 2023

Despite the tough situation, there were some shining moments for Fiji, with shooters Unaisi Rauluni and Maliana Rusivakula, along with goalkeeper Kelera Nawai, showing their worth on the world stage.

This performance is quite a contrast to Fiji’s best finish in the tournament, which was 6th place in the 1999 World Cup.

In the current tournament, their aim is to improve their current 19th ranking in the world and work their way back to a better position.

Three from three

The @AussieDiamonds win their third Pool A clash, scoring a century to beat @FijiNetball 101-32 #NWC2023 pic.twitter.com/TJBMlIeccV

— World Netball (@WorldNetball_) July 30, 2023

The top three teams from the pool will advance to stage two of the preliminaries, along with the top three teams from Pool B, featuring England, Malawi, Scotland, and Barbados.

Fiji will now play Malawi at 9 pm today.

Diamonds sparkle @AussieDiamonds impressing against The Pearls this morning #NWC2023 pic.twitter.com/zlvrLsR9jr

— World Netball (@WorldNetball_) July 30, 2023

Meanwhile, the teams that finish last in the pools will be relegated to the bottom half of the competition.

Stream the best of Fiji on VITI+. Anytime. Anywhere.