Pulse and Lightning win Super League openers

London Pulse and defending champions Loughborough Lightning won their opening fixtures of the 2025 Netball Super League season on Sunday.

Pulse, who won the Netball Super Cup in Sheffield earlier this month, beat league newcomers Nottingham Forest 73-51 at Copper Box Arena.

The hosts led 37-30 at half-time but then pulled away to lead 55-38 after the third quarter on their way to a comfortable win.

Pulse gave a debut off the bench to 16-year-old Gracie Smith, while England star Liv Tchine scored 44 goals from 48 shots for a 92% success rate.

Meanwhile, Lightning defeated Manchester Thunder 66-52 at AO Arena, in a repeat of the 2024 Grand Final.

Thunder recovered from a 28-14 deficit in the second quarter to trail by only four goals at half-time, but Loughborough - chasing a third successive title - stretched clear again in the second half.

Lightning will host Pulse in their next fixture on Saturday, 22 March - a game that will be shown live on the BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app.

'A nice start' - reaction to Pulse's win

London Pulse were winners of the Netball Super Cup in Sheffield on 8 March

London Pulse coach Sam Bird told BBC Sport:

"What I'm pleased about is when we made our changes, it showed we've got 10 players who can all really perform.

"I'm ever the optimist. It's one down and I don't know how many we've got to go, there is bigger and tougher opposition to come and we're not getting carried away. There are still a lot of things to fix up that we can do better, but it's a nice start."

Nottingham Forest coach Chelsea Pitman told BBC Sport:

"It's disappointing to have gone down by so much at the end because there's that bonus point for losing within five or less.

"You can't put out 30 minutes of good netball and expect to be competitive. We played some good netball in the first half, we were in it, and in the second half we were uncharacteristic in the mistakes we made. That's not the Forest team I've seen in pre-season.

"But it's round one. I'm still proud of what they put out there, everyone got to get out on court and everyone made an impact."

England coach Jess Thirlby on BBC Sport:

"London Pulse really showed up as a whole unit. It was difficult to pick a player of the match because they're a much more balanced side now, with more people prepared to contribute consistently. That's going to be their biggest strength this year.

"I understand Chelsea [Pitman] being disappointed. She's firm but fair, but she's a competitor. She knows how to win and it's OK for it to hurt.

"That will be great for the culture of Nottingham Forest. They don't want to be happy with losses like today but, if they put some perspective on it, they're not far away from holding teams of the calibre of London Pulse."

Friday recap: Rhinos and Mavericks open with wins

On Friday, Leeds Rhinos came from behind to inflict a 71-63 defeat on debutants Birmingham Panthers.

Panthers led 38-36 at half-time, but Rhinos put the new super shot rule - which allows shooters to score double points for a shot made from a certain area in the circle during the last five minutes of each quarter - to good use to overturn the deficit.

Rhinos shooter Joyce Mvula was named player of the match for an impressive showcase of her shooting range, both under the post and from distance.

Panthers showed promise of a late comeback but were unable to close the gap enough to earn a point - another new rule for this season which rewards losing teams with a deficit of five goals or less.

In Friday's other match, London Mavericks overturned a two-point deficit at half-time to triumph 65-56 over Cardiff Dragons.

What's new in 2025?

The weekend's matches were the first of the 2025 campaign as the relaunched league moves towards professionalisation.

Panthers and Forest are the two new additions to the eight-team division after Team Bath, Surrey Storm, Severn Stars and Strathclyde Sirens were left out.

Round one provided the first opportunity for fans to see new rules in action, the standout one being the super shot.

Along with the awarding of a bonus point for a loss by fewer than five points, it is hoped the super shot will increase competition and create more exciting matches.

Round two fixtures

Friday, 21 March

• Nottingham Forest v Cardiff Dragons (19:30 GMT)

• Birmingham Panthers v Manchester Thunder (19:30 GMT)

Saturday, 22 March

• Loughborough Lightning v London Pulse (18:00 GMT) - live on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app

Sunday, 23 March

• London Mavericks v Leeds Rhinos (16:00 GMT)