New Zealand's hopes of a third successive FastNet world series netball title took a tumble with a second successive loss in Manchester early on Sunday (NZT).
The FastNet Ferns were beaten 23-22 by Australia in the abbreviated version of the game after leading 11-8 at halftime.
In their last pool match, the New Zealanders looked more comfortable in accounting for Fiji 24-14.
They will meet Jamaica in one semi-final early on Monday (NZT), while England and Australia do battle in the second.
New Zealand coach Waimarama Taumaunu has run a wide range of different combinations in pool play, using the full depth of a squad which melds experience and youth.
The New Zealanders will have to reverse the result of Sunday's earlier pool match against Jamaica where they struggled in the closing stages of a scrappy game.
The Ferns' error rate was too high, and they lacked cohesion on attack and in the feed to their shooters. Ahead 11-9 at halftime, the New Zealanders turned over too much possession in the closing stages and Jamaica ran out 27- 23 winners.
The Silver Ferns began their defence with a comfortable 33-14 win over South Africa on Saturday, following that up with a 32-12 win over England later in the day.
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