Commonwealth Games 2026: England 47-66 Australia in Pool A

England captain Fran Williams said his side were “far from our best” after losing to Commonwealth champions Australia.

The Roses begin their campaign in Pool A 83-34 win Over Northern Ireland on Saturday.

But they were beaten as Australia won 66-47 at the Hydro in Glasgow on Sunday.

“It’s because we’re here for results and not for performance,” Williams told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“We didn’t handle their physicality very well. It’s really tough when a game blows up like that.”

Australia started strongly, taking an 18-11 lead after the first quarter and extending their advantage to 56-35 by the end of the third.

Sophie Garbin scored 41 goals from 42 attempts for Australia, while Olivia Tichain was England’s top scorer with 23 from 25.

England face Malawi on Monday at 14:00 BST.

Sunday before, Scotland picked up their first win In Pool B with a 56-47 win over Wales.

England, who won gold in 2018, failed to make the podium at Birmingham 2022.

Only two of the 12 players in the squad – Eleanor Cardwell and Imogen Allison – have Commonwealth Games experience following injuries to gold medalists Helen Housby and Natalie Metcalfe. Withdrawal with a calf injury monday

Jess Thirlby Step down as head coach Due to family reasons in March, assistant Anna Stembridge – head coach from 2011 to 2015 – took over on an interim basis.