Consolidating their position as favourites in Pool A, the NZ U21 team completed a convincing 80-20 win over Malaysia on day four of the Netball World Youth Cup 2025 being hosted in Gibraltar.

The result left the New Zealanders unbeaten after three matches with one match to go in round robin play.

Working their way towards the business end of the competition, the defending champion New Zealand team once again used all 12 of their team to consolidate combinations while also keeping players fresh.

All changes of personnel throughout the match proved successful with players transitioning seamlessly and without hindering the overall accuracy and efficiency. Delivering successive quarters of 20, 19, 20 and 21 goals highlighted the team’s consistency and ability to adapt to change without missing a beat.

The NZ U21 team quickly moved through the gears through the opening quarter with shooters Amelia Walmsley and Ella Southby switching their roles with precision while linking expertly through their deft off-loads.

Walmsley had stints at both shooting roles through the match while Southby showed her versatility when also spending time in the wing attack role.

Well-connected and controlled on attack, New Zealand were equally dominant on defence where Malaysia were forced to use multiple phases through short sharp movement to get the ball to the circle.

Shooter Izzazrin Ahmad Yani was accurate under the hoop but with limited opportunities Malaysia were left staring down a 20-7 deficit at the first break.

New Zealand made multiple changes on the resumption, getting off to a quick start and leaving Malaysia struggling to contain the impact of their mobile and rangy defence line.

Charlotte Manley and Laura Balmer were an influential in-circle defensive pairing while the speedy midcourt duo of Serina Daunakamakama and Kaiya Kepa were instrumental in creating limitless opportunities on attack.

Challenged across all areas of the court, Malaysia were restricted to just four goals during the second spell as New Zealand headed into the main break with a 39-11 advantage.

Once again, there were multiple changes to the New Zealand line-up for the third stanza, the Malaysians getting away to a strong start before being stifled for options.

Balmer continued to play a strong hand from goal defence while the pairing of Kepa and Taiana Day maintained a stranglehold on midcourt traction, both on attack and defensively as New Zealand pushed on to a 59-16 lead at the last break.

Showing her versatility, Day slipped into goal attack for the final quarter, the New Zealanders showing no signs of letting up with a strong finish and all players making the most of their opportunities.

Four-time winners of the World Youth Cup, New Zealand will play their final match of pool play against hosts Gibraltar at 3am on Thursday (NZ time). The final round of pool matches will determine the rankings of the top eight teams who will compete for the title.