Dame Noeline Taurua buoyed by "best camp since 2019" ahead of Silver Ferns' Taini Jamison Trophy clash with England

Silver Ferns head coach Dame Noeline Taurua insists her Taini Jamison Trophy squad have lived up to her lofty standards and are well poised to translate that hard work into quality on-court product this weekend.

The three-match series against England gets underway in Auckland on Sunday, where they'll face a stern litmus test against the Roses, whose development side managed to tip up the Ferns in the opener of last year's trip to Aotearoa.

Dame Noeline's notorious fitness standard resulted in four of the triallists being sent packing last month, before settling on a squad of 12 to take on the Roses.

But judging by what she's seen during their exceptional recent camp, Taurua is confident her team will deliver.

"Absolutely," Taurua told SENZ's Scotty & Izzy.

"We had a camp last week and honestly, it's probably the best camp that I've had since the end of 2019 with 'the fossils'.

"I'm really happy. I think the dynamic between the new ones coming in has added personality, character, a bit of oomph , and I'm just loving the combinations that we're starting to form.

"So far, so good, but there's not very many times that I say that I'm happy, and I am happy."

Taurua has called two new potential debutants into her group in midcourter Claire O’Brien and defender Parris Mason, who both excelled during the ANZ Premiership, while Kimiora Poi and Erena Mikaere have both been recalled.

Fresh from a win over the Australians in Sydney, Taurua expects a confident and well-drilled England team, making some of their key focuses that much more crucial, particularly when they're under the blowtorch.

"The things that we've really honed in on is our ball possession. We will be tested and I can talk about that until the cows come home. But we'll be tested, when we get out there. The rhythm and the timing of our passing is crucial.

"We know our structures back to front, so it's not an issue. It's been the execution out on court, you know, and the ability to do that under pressure."

Listen to the full interview below: