Wales’ netballers return to Glasgow this weekend aiming to qualify for the World Cup – and looking to set the record straight after underachieving at the Commonwealth Games.
Less than two months after a disappointing 10th place at the Games, the Welsh Feathers face Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, with two places in Australia 2027 up for grabs.
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And, under interim head coach Reinga Bloxham, they are also facing up to what went wrong in Glasgow in the summer.
Outgoing head coach Emily Handyside said winning just one of six matches at the Commonwealths “stung”, as Wales dropped from seventh in the world to ninth.
The players say they have had some “difficult conversations” as they seek to qualify for back-to-back World Cups and join fifteen other sides in Sydney from 25 August to 5 September 2027.
Bloxham, though, is confident this trip to Scotland will go much better.
“I’ve got absolute belief in this group that there is no reason why we can’t take three from three,” said the New Zealander, who also coaches Welsh club side Dragons.
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A hard Games ‘mentally and emotionally’
Georgia Rowe had the highest accuracy – 97% – of the leading goalscorers in the 2026 Netball Super League [Getty Images]
Goal shooter Georgia Rowe was not shy in expressing her feelings about the Games.
“Physically on court we were not at our best and mentally we definitely weren’t where we needed to be,” said Rowe.
“I didn’t perform as well as I’d hoped, and as a team we didn’t deliver to the standard that we know is in us.”
The 31-year-old, who plays for Cardiff-based Dragons in Netball Super League, said the Commonwealths were hard “mentally and emotionally”.
“We felt a little bit of disappointment early on at the Games and it’s hard then to try and just every day wake up and get yourself ready to go again,” she added.
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“We had some losses quite early on that we don’t think that we deserved.
“You work so hard for four years, you sacrifice so much for the Commonwealth Games and then get there and underperform.
“I think it showed a lot of character that we were still able then to have our own vibe and create that atmosphere for ourselves.”
Wales and Dragons captain Bethan Dyke got married after the Commonwealth Games, changing her surname to Partridge. [Getty Images]
It is a sentiment echoed by captain Bethan Partridge.
“We’ve had some honest reflections and I think the ownership and the accountability within the group has been great,” 31-year-old Partridge said.
A veteran of the 2014, 2018 and 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2015 and 2023 Netball World Cups, Partridge welcomes the chance to set the record straight this weekend under Bloxham and assistant coach Sarah Lewis.
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“We’re in a really fortunate position that we get to go back out on court and show everyone the progress we’ve made since,” she added.
“We’re focused on how we can be much more controlled in possession.
“We know we can do it, it’s just the case of making sure we’re doing it consistently for longer periods of time.
“Reinga and Sarah have come in and done an incredible job with the squad and there’s a real belief as a squad that we can go up there and get three wins from three.”
Adding ‘dogged determination’
Millie Carter won her first cap against Zimbabwe in 2025 [Huw Evans Picture Agency]
There were some bright spots for the Feathers at the Commonwealth Games, showing in spells they could compete with some of the best sides in the world.
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They only trailed silver medallists Jamaica 13-11 after the opening quarter, and scored 22 goals while conceding 29 in the second half against gold medallists New Zealand.
But the team struggled to put together 60-minute performances.
“Since the Games, we’ve been making sure that we build really solid processes and that we’ve got clarity and that we really understand our roles and responsibilities,” said Bloxham.
The interim head coach has added one new face to her squad, in goal defence Millie Carter who is hoping to add to her first cap won last November.
Bloxham says the 24-year-old is “really dogged and determined”.
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“She was probably really disappointed that she didn’t make those Commonwealth Games but sometimes we need to have setbacks to just refocus ourselves to make sure that we know exactly what we want,” added Bloxham.
“I love her tenacity in the way that she approaches everything.
“She gets on with the job, no fuss, asks great questions, always willing to learn and challenge.
“I’m excited to see what she can do with this group.”
Carter, who is part of Manchester Thunder’s NXT Gen squad says it “means everything” to be back in the Wales team.
“It’s such a privilege to put the red dress on and to represent your country and not many get to do it,” she said.
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“Not getting to Commies was a big blow and I think the girls did amazingly, but I really knew that I wanted to fight to be re-selected.
“I’m excited to prove to myself and to others that I deserve to be in the team and I wasn’t going to take it lightly and just sit back.
“I came back fighting, kicking and screaming to get in the squad and prove that I should be there.”
The resounding message from the camp is that target of three wins from three.
Despite their dip in form Wales are still the highest of the four sides in qualifying, with Scotland at their heels in 10th.
“We have a point to prove for sure,” said Rowe.
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“The World Cup qualifiers is a huge opportunity for us to just reset ourselves.
“We’ve got to have a 60-minute performance three times in these qualifiers so that’s absolutely our aim.
“Until that happens, we’re going to continue to be super hard on each other.
“It’s absolutely now or never, we’re qualifying for that World Cup.”
Netball World Cup qualifying fixtures
Friday, September 25
Wales v Northern Ireland 17:00 (BST) – live streamed on BBC
Scotland v Republic of Ireland 19:00 (BST)
Saturday, September 26
Republic of Ireland v Wales 15:00 (BST) live streamed on BBC
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Scotland v Northern Ireland 17:00 (BST)
Sunday, September 27
Northern Ireland v Republic of Ireland 12:00 (BST)
Scotland v Wales 14:00 (BST) live streamed on BBC
2027 Netball World Cup Qualified teams
Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, England, South Africa, Uganda, Singapore, Hong Kong, Samoa, Tonga.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
