London Pulse defeat Leeds Rhinos to win inaugural Netball Super Cup

London Pulse defeated NIC Leeds Rhinos 20-15 to claim the inaugural Netball Super Cup at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield.

Pulse always had the upper hand over their rivals in the final, despite the best efforts of standouts Cassie Howard and Geva Mentor.

Olivia Tchine’s sharp shooting powered Pulse to a sizeable early lead that they were able to defend to lift the first silverware of the 2025 season.

En route to the final, Pulse launched a stunning comeback against the previously undefeated Manchester Thunder to book their place in the showpiece.

Thunder had won all of their games by at least five goals, while Pulse had made it through to the last four with just one win.

However, that did not matter in the semi-finals as both teams looked to use the Super Shot to their advantage.

In the end, Pulse saw out a nail-biting 17-16 win to earn a place in the final.

The second semi-final saw Nottingham Forest take on Rhinos with both having won two of their three group games.

Rhinos built out a strong lead in their last-four match-up and despite Forest’s best efforts, the Yorkshire side held on to win 15-13.

Lauren Palmer’s team had started their campaign with a loss to LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons before beating London Pulse and Loughborough Lightning in thrilling encounters.

Forest’s first game as a Netball Super League franchise saw them lose 22-13 to Manchester Thunder but it was only up from there as they defeated London Mavericks 29-15, the biggest winning margin of the day.

Against the other new team, Birmingham Panthers, Forest triumphed by two goals to book their spot in the semi-finals.

Panthers sat on the wrong side of the result in each of their three games, losing two of those by three points, while Mavericks claimed one win which came over Panthers in the first-ever game in the Super Cup.

Australian Emily Andrew made history in that match as she scored the first-ever Soft & Gentle Super Shot in NSL history.

In Group 2, 2024 league champions Loughborough Lightning opened with a dramatic draw with London Pulse and went on to claim a win over Dragons before a narrow loss to Rhinos saw them miss out on a semi-final place on goal difference.

Pulse’s win over Dragons proved the difference as their eight-goal victory saw them make it out of the group stages ahead of Lightning.

In the final, London Pulse slowly built a lead over Rhinos before pulling away in the first half when the Super Shot came into play.

The team in pink then established an eight-goal lead with just seconds of the first half remaining as they looked to avenge their group-stage defeat to the same opponents.

Joyce Mvula cut the gap to six points on the buzzer but an early Rhinos error saw Pulse begin to stretch their lead again in the second half. 

The advantage remained comfortable for Pulse before an intercept from Funmi Fadoju allowed Sam Bird’s side to slow down play and make certain of the trophy.