AUSTRALIA UNDEFEATED ON DAY ONE OF LONDON SEVENS

Jun 3 • General News, Sevens Rugby • 1253 Views • Comments Off on AUSTRALIA UNDEFEATED ON DAY ONE OF LONDON SEVENS

The Qantas Australian Men’s Sevens side have gone undefeated on day one to top in their pool and set up a Cup quarter final clash with England at the HSBC London Sevens on Saturday.

Australia accounted for Ireland (33-7), Wales (20-12) and Spain (28-22) in a strong statement of intent for the London leg of the series.

The Aussie 7s will meet hosts England in the Cup Quarter Final at 9.04pm AEST on Sunday 3 June with the match to be broadcast LIVE on FOX SPORTS.

Qantas Australian Men’s Sevens coach, Tim Walsh said: “Generally when you perform, you’re going to win but we didn’t perform to our best and still won and that’s a sign of a good team.

“Positives, is three wins, good to see Joey Pincus get over the line, Triston Reilly too and Lewis Holland leading from the front and some good patches but it’s all about consistency and we’re certainly going to have to rectify a few things tomorrow.

“You think about it, beating England at Twickenham would be pretty good but we’ll just make sure we’re ready,” Walsh said.

Australia 33 defeated Ireland 7
The Aussies were dealt a tough opposition first up on day one at Twickenham, taking on an Ireland side who hadn’t featured on the World Series since 2004. Both sides struggled to find their rhythm early but it was Australia who got on the scoresheet first. John Porch finding himself through the line before handing it off to skipper Lewis Holland who was dragged down one metre short of the line but managed to pop a pass to Tom Connor who did the rest. The Irish though didn’t take long to hit back, youngster Jordan Conroy showing a very clean set of heels to get on the outside of Porch and run in Irelands first try to send the scores level at 7-a-piece.

Whatever coach Tim Walsh said at half time worked a treat as the Aussies came out all guns blazing in the second stanza. Livewire Maurice Longbottom catching the Irish napping as he took off from a quick tap penalty to get his London account underway. Veteran Sam Myers showed he hadn’t lost any speed when Boyd Killingworth gave him the ball with 50-metres of fresh air in front him. Killingworth again turning provider for the side’s fourth try when he attracted three defenders before popping a ball away to Ben O’Donnell to extend the Aussies lead 19. The scoring wasn’t done with there, rookie speedster Triston Reilly giving a glimpse into his talent as he stepped through the defensive line before putting the foot down to race away for his first try. The final score 33-7 to the Australians.

Australia 20 defeated Wales 12
Australia were looking for another win over Wales who they beat in the same stages of the Singapore competition in April. Big man Tim Anstee made a strong run in the second minute of the game only for Wales to force a turnover, captilising on their first substantial possession to open the scoring through Jason Harries. However, it took just two minutes for the Aussies to square the ledger, Lachie Anderson combining well with John Porch to deliver the side’s first five-pointer. Wales were then reduced to six when one of their players saw yellow and Australia capitalised through Triston Reilly. Wales though, giving Australia a taste of their own medicine with a quick reply, this time Afon Bagshaw finding his way to the line to send his side to the break two points in front.

Like the opening game of the day the Aussies switched gears in the second stanza. It was again the young flyer Triston Reilly impressing in his just his second World Series tournament, crossing for his second of the match thanks to some superb lead-up work from Lewis Holland and Ben O’Donnell. Australia with a huge weight of possession for the majority of the game and scored one of the tries of the tournament when O’Donnell got one of his own after multiple phases including multiple touches from multiple players. The final score 20-12.

Australia 28 defeated Spain 22
The Aussies were looking for a clean sweep on day one when they took on Spain and the side got off to a lightning fast start when Lewis Holland showed all his experience with a quick tap from the short restart to get in behind the Spanish defence and put Lachie Anderson over untouched. The Spanish side with a special reply of their own, a kick in behind the defensive line superbly finished by Maunel Sainz. Sainz would have his double just two minutes later to put his side in front for the first time in the match. The Aussies responded in the perfect fashion thanks to a textbook inside ball from Tom Lucas to set up a try for John Porch. Australia extending their lead right on half time when Holland put a kick in behind for Joe Pincus to chase, the debutant scoring under the black dot to see the lead out to nine at the break.

The second half started like the first with Holland delivering a bone rattling tackle that caused a turnover. Porch pouncing on the opportunity to slice through Spain’s defensive line and pick up a double. The Spanish side refused to lie down and when Fransisco Hernandez made his way to the line the margin was cut to 11 with three minutes remaining on the clock. The Aussies put under even further pressure when Alejandro Alonso crossed to narrow the difference to just six heading into the dying stages. The Australian side managing to hold on in the final minute to register a 28-22 win and top their pool to book a spot in the Cup quarter finals.

London Sevens day one results
Qantas Australian Men’s Sevens
Pool B: Australia 33-7 Ireland
Pool B: Australia 20-12 Wales
Pool B: Australia 28-22 Spain