91Èȱ¬

England's netball team, who are nicknamed the Roses, have beaten New Zealand on their home soil for the first time in their history!

This is a huge deal for England because the Silver Ferns are ranked second in the world.

With only a few months to go until the Commonwealth Games, it shows the Roses are ready to fight to hold onto the gold medal they won in 2018.

The 49-45 victory in the series-deciding match, (which England won 2-1 overall), was an even sweeter win as the Silver Ferns ended England's World Cup dream in Liverpool in 2019. The Kiwis ended up winning that tournament, beating long-term rivals Australia 52-51 in an incredibly close final.

The match was played in Christchurch, which is located on New Zealand's South Island, and until a few days ago, the team say they were uncertain the tie would go ahead.

This is because the coronavirus restrictions in New Zealand are very strict and players had to quarantine in separate hotel rooms for two weeks when they arrived in the country, before they were able to train together.

England head coach Jess Thirlby told the 91Èȱ¬ the victory was a "huge achievement" and praised the way her team has coped with uncertainty around the series.

"I completely admire the way in which the players and the staff have handled the whole situation."

Back in 2018, some members of this team became legends of their sport, earning the nation's first ever Commonwealth Gold medals in netball, beating all predictions to get there.

In that final, they overcame the world's number one team, Australia, who will be looking for revenge in Birmingham in 2022.

But before that, the Roses hope to travel to Australia to face them in another three-match series.

Many young people in the UK were inspired to take up netball after England's 2018 Commonwealth win.

It's one of the most played sports in the world by women and girls, with more than 20 million participants. It's also the most played sport by women in the UK, with more than 1.4 million people playing.