AUSTRALIA CLAIM COMMONWEALTH GAMES GOLD

Aug 1 • Australia, General News, International, National, Sevens Rugby • 3045 Views • Comments Off on AUSTRALIA CLAIM COMMONWEALTH GAMES GOLD

The Australian Women’s Sevens side have claimed Gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last night defeating Fiji 24-12

The World Series champions entered the final full of confidence after their thrilling 17-12 victory over New Zealand in the semi-final.

Whilst there was a slight miscue at kick-off, the Australians remained composed and capitalised on an early mistake as Faith Nathan opened the scoring inside three minutes.

Sevens stalwarts Sharni Williams and Charlotte Caslick showed their experience as they smothered the Fijian attack, forcing a 5 metre scrum after a series of loose passes.

This allowed Nathan to add her second after a long ball from Madison Ashby as they dominated proceedings.

Nathan’s strong first half continued when she turned provider for Ashby, dotting down under the posts to take a 17-0 lead in the break.

Maddison Levi has been a star at this tournament, and cemented her status as the breakout player of the year in Sevens with her tenth try of the event.

This extended the lead out to 22-0 as the Aussies looked to close out the game.

A late push by Fiji saw Ana Maria Naimasi dive over and give a slim opening for a comeback.

In the end, the dominant first-half performance set up the victory as the Rio Olympic champions controlled the contest and closed out the game.

Not even a late yellow card to Charlotte Caslick and a try to Sesenieli Donu could damper the spirits as the Aussies pulled off the victory.

Aussie 7s co-captain Charlotte Caslick said: “After a dominant performance against New Zealand, that gave us plenty of confidence coming into this game and we started unbelievably.

“I think in those physical contests, we dominated nearly every single one and that’s what we came out to do. I wouldn’t say it was perfect (performance) but it was close to.

“We’ve had an amazing World Series and it’s been a dominant year, so to be rewarded in front of an awesome crowd is pretty special.”

Head Coach Tim Walsh said: “Our second objective for 2022 has been achieved.

“The team executed when it really counted and it wasn’t luck, I believe we worked harder and smarter than every other team.

“There were many family and friends there to support us and the memories tonight will last a lifetime.

“Players and staff of all experiences were challenged and learned something about themselves during this campaign and we are a far better team for the experience.

“All players contributed here in Birmingham and back in Sydney but it would be remiss of me not to mention the empress of Sevens, Charlotte Caslick, who was phenomenal once again. One of Australia’s best athletes.”

The win marks the first time a team has won gold after falling in the group stages, a stark contrast from Tokyo where the Fijians knocked out the defending champion Aussies in the quarter-finals.