When it comes to preparing for a Netball World Cup, the significance of training and match play cannot be overstated. The journey to the pinnacle of netball excellence requires a comprehensive approach that encompasses both physical and mental readiness.

Training camps are well underway for Scottish Thistles as they look at honing their skills, improving fitness, and developing on court connections.

Meanwhile, match play offers a crucial testing ground to assess strategies, refine gameplay, and build the resilience necessary for success on the global stage.

Head Coach, Tamsin Greenway and assistant Sara Francis-Bayman have put together a intense and exciting training schedule in the lead up to the teams departure to Cape Town at the end of July.

“We wanted to make sure we have the best possible prep heading into the Netball World Cup and match play is a huge part of that. We had the All Stars game 1^st July in Glasgow and now the training match against Wales which will be really big for us. We are so evenly matched with them in lots of ways but we also want to expose ourselves to different styles so we will also have some warmup games when we get out to South Africa too.”

Scottish Thistles played off against a selection of Netball Super League All Stars in an exclusive training match hosted by Netball Scotland 1^st July at Emirates Arena.

Reflecting on the match, head coach Tamsin Greenways says she is thrilled with where the squad are at this point in their World Cup build up.

“I’m really pleased with the World Cup build up so far. I thought we showed some exciting potential in the All Stars game. We were pleased to come away with the win but more than that  – we have been working on some different styles of play and ways that we want to approach the game and I thought they attacked that really well. I actually thought that the All Stars team were excellent, to have that Severn Stars defensive with Jo Tripp who has been outstanding all year was really helpful for us.”

“Standout for us were Bethan (Goodwin) who shot 47/49, I thought she was incredible. It was so nice to see the attack end shine with Iona (Christian) who I thought was brilliant and Emma Love who really stepped up and so it was really great to see our attack end take us over the line.

There is still loads to come but I couldn’t be happier with where we are at at the moment in terms of our build up.”

Looking ahead to next weekend and the Scottish Thistles will be back in match play, this time facing off against Wales in a live streamed match.

“We know Wales will be a tough game, we know historically what it means for Scotland playing Wales and we know it will be in front of a crowd so all those things tick a box for us of feeling the pressure.”

“Making sure that players are prepped and ready for high intensity games is huge.

One of the big things we are trying to with Wales is play them more regularly so it’s not such a big deal when we come into World Cup Qualifiers and we have more familiarity around them so that is another big part of the decision to play them.”

“It will show the players where we’re at, we are putting in some different tactical elements as we move into World Cup. We have such a wide array of teams we are going to be playing with Malawi, Barbados and England and they are all going to offer different things so it’s really important that tactically we are able to practice things against tough opposition.”

“The goal is always to perform, it’s never about winning at this stage, I mean the win is nice but we are going to be trying combinations, we are going to make sure tactically that we’re practicing some things and as long as we are performing on the things we are working on then I’ll be happy.”

“There is always that added pressure of playing in front of a crowd as well and I think that is so important for the players. When we get out to the World Cup it’s not behind closed doors so making sure they can step up and perform under pressure is a big area we have been trying to work on and you can’t just talk about that, you have to actually put them in environments where that happens.”

Wales Feathers vs Scottish Thistles

Sunday 9^th July

House of Sport, Cardiff

FCP 3.30pm

Details of streaming link will be made available soon.

Scottish Thistles netball international Iona Christian is making the most of a rare opportunity to embrace all on offer after joining forces with Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse for a short stint during the pre-season.

The opportunity was forged when Karen Atkinson, Performance Director for Scotland, and Thistles head coach Tamsin Greenway made contact with the Pulse, resulting in midcourter Christian being the delighted beneficiary.

“Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse is always looking at ways in which we can build relationships that provide opportunities and learnings within our organisation,’’ Pulse CEO Fran Scholey said.

“This unique opportunity not only provides Iona with a hands-on insight into our high performance environment and performance standards but also provides opportunities for our players and coaching staff to learn off her.’’

It’s been a quick initiation for the versatile midcourter, stepping out for her first training session on Monday, a day after shaking off the effects of jet-lag in what is shaping as a steep learning curve during her two-week stay.

“I didn’t see this coming at all and jumped at the opportunity to come into the Pulse training environment to see what it’s all about over here,’’ Christian said.

This meant that Christian was absent from the recent training match with England A team as part of the England and Jamica test series.

“I’m really lucky to be here and I’ve been given this great opportunity to see what it’s like to be in this environment. So, I’ll be immersed in all the fitness sessions, all the court sessions, all the gym sessions and some of the cultural sessions as well. I’m just getting stuck in and taking in everything involved in what they do on a week-to-week basis.’’

Christian, 25, has spent a number of years playing in the UK Super League, firstly for Severn Stars while she was at university in Worcester and the past three seasons for Wasps. She recently signed to play for defending champions Manchester Thunder for the coming season.

Making her Scotland debut in 2021, Christian played in last year’s Commonwealth Games while also being named the best centre court player in the three-nation series with South Africa and Zimbabwe held late last year.

“Coming over here is the experience of a lifetime,’’ she said. “These opportunities don’t come along that often so this is like a real honour and I’m loving my time here.”

“There’s so much that I can take home from this experience. The style of play is so different to what I’m used to, so I’m learning lots of new drills and lots of new set-ups.”

“Yvette’s (McCausland-Durie) a great coach, different to all the coach’s I’ve had in the past, so I’m learning lots from her and from the girls as well, the terminology, and the cultural side, the lifestyle. We’re aren’t fulltime athletes in the UK, so just getting used to what it’s like to be a semi-professional athlete and being able to focus on netball is such a fantastic opportunity.’’

Christian has been warmly welcomed into the Pulse fold with both sides gaining from the experience.

“Iona has added huge value to the group since joining us,’’ McCausland-Durie said.  She’s an incredibly fit player and it’s been invaluable having her just come in and be able to hit the ground running.”

“She’s a very good student of the game, taking notes of all the new things she’s learning while also adding specifics she wants to add to her own game, particularly learning more about zone defence as she moves between wing attack and centre. We’re delighted she has been able to spend time with us.’’

For more updates follow Scottish Thistles on social media @scottishthistles