AUSTRALIA TAKE FIFTH IN OPENING ROUND OF HSBC SEVENS WORLD SERIES

Oct 22 • General News, Sevens Rugby • 1857 Views • Comments Off on AUSTRALIA TAKE FIFTH IN OPENING ROUND OF HSBC SEVENS WORLD SERIES

The Qantas Australian Women’s side have finished in fifth place in a mixed day two of the opening round of the HSBC Sevens World Series at the USA7s in Colorado on Monday morning.

Australia didn’t kick into gear in the quarter finals against the tournament hosts USA, going down 5-26, moving the Aussie 7s into the battle to finish in fifth place.

Australia rallied well after the disappointment of the quarter finals to defeat England in the fifth-place semi-final 26-12. England shot out to an early lead, but Australia patiently fought their way back into the match, eventually over running their English counterparts.

In the fifth place final, Australia came up against a strong Irish side, where the Aussie 7s had to work to get the victory. Australia took a commanding lead early the match, but Ireland fought their way back to take the lead in the second half.

With moments remaining, Australia was trailing Ireland 14-19, when Charlotte Caslick created space out wide, allowing Ellia Green to score leveling the scores at 19-19.

Australia’s latest debutant, Samantha Treherne stepped up to the plate and calmly slotted the conversion to give Australia a 21-19 win.

Across the day Ellia Green scored two crucial tries for her country as the speedster found the line in important moments. The boot of Emma Sykes also proved to be vital, with the Australian back slotting five conversions on day two.

Qantas Australian Women’s Sevens Head Coach John Manenti said: “Naturally we are disappointed that we didn’t put ourselves in a position to be in the top four, but I’m impressed with the character we showed to bounce back and claim fifth.

“The USA wanted it more in that quarter final and played in a style that prevented us from building consistent pressure. We didn’t nail our execution in key moments and were forced to pay for it.

“We showed the way we could play against England and Ireland and despite letting Ireland back into the game, the team fought their way out of trouble when their backs were against the wall to get the result.

“Charlotte Caslick and Vani Pelite were in good form this weekend and it was good to see Samantha Treherne put out a good performance in her first time in the Aussie 7s jersey.”

New Zealand took out the gold medal match, defeating the USA 33-7, to take maximum HSBC Sevens World Series points.

The Qantas Australian Women’s Sevens team will return to Australia to commence preparation for round two of the HSBC Sevens World Series in Dubai in November.

On the domestic front, Griffith University won the Aon University Sevens Series on Sunday, winning three of the five leg Series.