Strive-scoring machine Maddison Levi has added one other hat-trick to her assortment – but it surely was the uncommon match that she failed to attain in on the Cape City Sevens which actually demonstrated the strength-in-depth of Australia’s rugby ladies.
Levi, who scored a record-breaking 15 in a single World Sequence event to arrange the triumph in Dubai final weekend, carried on the place she’d left off, her treble within the 45-5 win over Brazil launching her staff in the direction of Sunday’s semi-finals and potential back-to-back titles.
Afterward Saturday, although, Levi didn’t get on the scoresheet – remarkably for the primary time in 27 matches – however the Australians nonetheless beat Canada 26-10 to ensure their development to the last-four.
As an alternative, that match merely showcased the staff’s resilience after that they had misplaced two gamers, Tia Hinds and Sariah Paki, to yellow playing cards within the first half and had been, for greater than a minute, making an attempt to stem Canadian assaults with simply 5 gamers.
Not solely did they survive that however even when nonetheless a participant down, they struck whereas short-handed with a strive within the nook from the returning Hinds.
By the second half, Australia had been again in full movement because it was Canada’s flip to defend with six after a yellow card, however Paki, Heidi Dennis, who’d earlier scored towards Brazil, and debutant Mackenzie Davis all raced over for tries.
Charlotte Caslick, Australia’s former captain, admitted: “Our work-on for the event has been self-discipline so I assume (dropping two gamers to yellow playing cards) wasn’t actually sticking to that, however we labored exhausting for one another and hung in there till we obtained each gamers again on the sphere.”
Earlier, Levi, the 22-year-old world sevens participant of the 12 months, had been unstoppable within the rout of Brazil, with captain Bella Nasser, Religion Nathan and Piper Simons additionally flying over for the champions.
Within the semi-finals, Tim Walsh’s aspect will meet the USA (Sunday 10:34pm AEDT), probably with some extent to show after the Individuals gained their Olympic bronze-medal match in Paris.
Olympic champions New Zealand, who misplaced the Dubai closing to Australia, will play France within the different semi.
However whereas the ladies continued to flourish, Australia’s males’s staff made one other early exit in the primary competitors, failing to make the semis after the large shock of dropping to Kenya 19-12 to kick off the occasion.
Australia squandered a 12-0 lead after first-half tries for James Turner and Hayden Sargeant, however the match was reworked when Aden Ekanayake was sin-binned after freely giving a penalty strive.
A strive within the closing 90 seconds was sufficient for Kenya to trigger the upset of the championships.
It left Australia having to beat Dubai runners-up Spain by greater than seven factors, however they succumbed 19-14, a strive for Henry Paterson and a debut five-pointer for James McGregor being answered by three for the Spanish, who arrange a semi-final with hosts South Africa.
Within the different semi, Dubai champions Fiji will meet Olympic champions France in one other re-run of the Paris closing.
© AAP
