Four of the Silver Ferns’ Auckland-based players, including captain Gina Crampton, have on Thursday night been granted a travel exemption for their upcoming Test series against England.
The team had been preparing to play without them as they gathered in Christchurch earlier on Thursday when the news came through late in the afternoon.
The players will fly out for Monday’s Test on Friday pending negative Covid-19 tests.
"I've pretty much been looking at every message straight away for the last week or so, really," Crampton said.
"All my Silver Ferns gear is just in a suitcase so ready to go whenever."
Three development players called in to bolster the Ferns’ ranks will stay on and now have even more of a point to prove.
“Coming into this environment, putting my best foot forward, training hard and yeah, just see what happens,” midcourter Kimiora Poi said.
It means the full group will have just two days together in camp before their first hit out.
But for their ever optimistic coach, there’s always a silver lining, no matter how disrupted the buildup may be.
"We got netball on Monday - hallelujah. I think that's always a good thing as well," Noeline Taurua said.
Delayed coverage of Monday's match will be aired at 8.30pm on TVNZ2 following live coverage from SKY.
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