11 Aug 2015

Sport: Fiji Pearls grab first win as Pacific teams prepare for second round

11:48 am on 11 August 2015

Fiji grabbed their first win of this year's Netball World Cup with a 59-51 result over Zambia in their final match of the first pool phase.

The Pearls finished third in Pool D which puts them alongside Scotland, Sri Lanka and Barbados in the second round, with a match against winless Sri Lanka later today.

Samoa take on Singapore later this morning as they search for an opening win and have also been drawn alongside Trinidad and Tobago and Zambia.

The team had a day off yesterday and goal-shoot Julianna Naoupu says they just want to get better.

"There's always a lot to improve on, coming into competitions like this, but everyday you've got to take in the positives and work on the negatives [in] trainings and then come game-time just got to nail what we've learnt and watched over the last couple of games. Marcia has been doing a really good job and just rotating us - she wants to try and kind of rest all of us so we have enough time to recover well and put out what we can out on court".

Meanwhile there are two blockbuster clashes today with New Zealand up against Jamaica and England to face Australia.

Former Silver Ferns squad member Julianna Naoupu now plays for Samoa.

Former Silver Ferns squad member Julianna Naoupu now plays for Samoa. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

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