England returned home with the silver medal from the Nations Series in Singapore as they reached the final of the first men’s international series of the year.

Amongst those in England’s Nations Series squad was Northern Titan’s Rowan Weaver, who started in all but one of the matches on his fourth appearance at this tournament.

In his experiences at this tournament, Weaver, who was part of the team’s leadership group, said, “It was such a good experience. I think the tournament as a whole was really challenging, having six matches so close together, but that was one of the things that we trained for.”

“Starting the majority of the games was a huge privilege, and I thought that I brought my skillset, and I offered a lot in terms of the netball. I was also part of the leadership group, so it was a huge honour to bring my experience and my knowledge to the group of players.”

Weaver started at goal attack in the final against Australia U20s on Saturday 17th January, in which the undefeated Australia eventually became champions, running out with a 24-68 victory.

Before the final, England had only lost one game throughout the series, which had also come against Australia U20s, with England’s biggest win coming in their first match of the tournament when they beat the UAE 65-16.

On winning the silver medal against Australia, Super League side NIC Leeds Rhinos Netball’s new training partner, Weaver, said, “Going into that match, we’d played Australia in the group round and knew how strong they were. I think just to have the second chance at going against them was a huge honour. I think we went into that match with the expectation and the preparation that we wanted to try and compete against them, and I think that’s what we did.”

“Australia are such a good team in netball, and I think we have to be realistic; they’ve been playing netball forever, and at England men’s netball, we’ve not been playing very long, so it’s just sort of understanding where we’re at in terms of our netball journey, so that silver medal is such a huge achievement for us.”

Weaver won one of three coveted tournament MVP awards as the self-funded player and team recorded their best-ever result at the Nations Series, coming off the back of a history-making year for men’s and mixed netball in England.

Alongside winning the Nations Series MVP, he also helped his team reach the final as part of a strong leadership group alongside Jonno Jessup and Massi Dendani, who were captain and vice-captain, respectively.

On winning one of the MVP awards, Weaver, who made his debut for the England Thorns (England Men’s top netball team) in September 2024, said, “Getting the MVP award for this tournament, I really didn’t expect it at all. When they were announcing it, they were describing me, but I never actually thought it would be me.”

“I think for me my aim for this tournament was to just play consistently, put out good performances and just sort of do everything that I’d trained for, so I just took each match as it came and tried to be the best version of myself on court and within the team, so I wouldn’t have been able to win that award without the support of everyone.”

After a history-making 2025, which saw Weaver play in the history-making England Men’s and Mixed Netball Association (EMMNA) Mixed vs Australia Mixed three-match series, and a fantastic start to 2026, Weaver and his team, the Northern Titans, want to expand the playing opportunities for boys who want to play netball after primary school.

Alongside holding clinics for younger children to boost the availability of men’s netball to boys, the Titans, and the rest of the teams in England, will be hoping that the successes of England MNNA across the past few years will bring more awareness to the sport.

On bringing new eyes and players to the men’s and mixed game, Weaver said, “There’s a lot to look forward to, and I think the opportunities that we’re getting are complementary to the women’s game as well.”

“I think it’s understanding that there’s space for everyone, and it’s a very inclusive game, and men’s netball is not trying to take anything away from women’s netball; it’s a sort of group thing where everyone who plays netball is getting visibility, and it’s growing the game, which is the main purpose.”

The next main event for the England Men’s Netball team is the trials, which will take place in February, which will determine the team for the rest of 2026 in what is the hundredth-year anniversary of netball’s birth in England.

The England Men’s Netball team are also now building towards the inaugural Men’s Netball World Cup in 2028, with qualifying matches and ranking tournaments now expected to take place in the coming years.