England 'off the pace' in defeat by South Africa

Fran Williams says England were "off the pace" against South Africa after they were beaten 52-48 in the opening game of the three-match series.

The Roses took an early 6-3 lead in Johannesburg but South Africa quickly got back into the game, edging ahead 16-12.

The hosts extended their advantage to 29-25 before half-time and while England did rally to take a one-goal, 39-38 lead heading into the final stages of the match, South Africa were able to capitalise on the Roses' unforced errors and seal victory in front of the home crowd.

"We didn't start strong, we looked a bit off the pace in attack and we weren't taking the ball cleanly," said England captain Williams.

"The South African defence were punishing us for that so we just need to be stronger in terms of the setups and the balls that we're trying to take."

Williams did, however, feel England showed "tenacity" after half-time, adding: "I'm so proud of my girls in the way that they kept fighting.

"We need a big response now to come back and win the double header at the weekend."

Both England and South Africa are building towards this summer's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where the two sides are in the same six-team pool.

Jess Thirlby's England are fourth in the world rankings, with South Africa close behind in fifth.

They next face each other on Saturday at 15:00 GMT, before playing the final game in the series on Sunday at 14:00.