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Opinion
After the excitement of the weekend’s Super Rugby, then the performance of the Aussie sevens women in Langford, Canada, I just had to pen a few words.
If we had lost to New Zealand in the final I probably wouldn’t have.
The Aussie women not only took out the Canada sevens in Langford, BC, but with Fiji being knocked out, they also took out this year’s World Series title by making it to the semi-final.
It was only the third time the Australians have taken out the title. It was also the first win over New Zealand in four years.
The concerns are whether we can expect the NRLW clubs to come visiting later this year after the Commonwealth Games and World Cup.
These women have outstanding tackle technique and can all catch and pass under pressure.
In the short term, things should be okay as the NRLW is not a full-time game, but the clubs must be eyeing some of these players.
I am noting nine of the squad are under 23 years of age.
(Photo by Dave Rowland/Getty Images)
Putting that aside, how did the weekend play out?
For both Australia and New Zealand, the Day 1 pool games generally played out as expected with comfortable wins except for New Zealand’s game against the Fijiana, which ended in a 12-all draw.
Up until the final, that game was the game of the tournament. Generally one of the real strengths of Australia and New Zealand is the skill level that is across the whole squad. The other teams have some high quality players but not across the board.
The other skill the Australians and New Zealanders have is footy smarts to make good decisions. On the flip side, the USA has some real athletes with strength and speed but as yet do not have that quarterback to direct it all.
Day 2 was finals day. Both Australia and New Zealand got through reasonably comfortably.
For Australia against Ireland, they came out and blew them away with three tries in the first half, then relied on their defence to stop Ireland’s persistent attack in the second half.
New Zealand were up against France in the semi-final. They led in the first half but were run over by the New Zealanders with three tries in the second half.
The final was what everyone was hoping for. Australia are current World Series leaders and the winner of three of four tournaments.
They were against the reigning Olympic gold medalists and World Series title holders.
And simply, it delivered.
There was excellent defence and excellent individual skills. In the end, Australia won after the bell with Lily Dick scoring, after what was more passes than I could count. The fitness of both teams was extraordinary.
Understandably, there were vast amounts of emotion from the Australian players. It was their first win over the New Zealanders in four years.
As Charlotte Caslick said, it would have been bittersweet to have taken out the World Series title but not win the tournament, so it was extremely satisfying.
So what are some takeouts?
Coach Tim Walsh has introduced an excellent substitution strategy during the matches that is working a treat. And there is a rock solid defensive structure. They only let in six tries over the weekend.
Some players came into the squad and immediately showed their class and skill.
For example, there was Madison Ashby, Faith Nathan and Alysia Lefau-Fakaosilea.
Meanwhile, others require more time to develop. For example, Demi Hayes, Dom Du Toit, Sariah Paki and Lily Dick have taken the longer pathway and have been in the sevens program for up to four years and are now delivering.
It is a real skill to work out which players keep on developing.
Here are a few player comments.
Sharni Williams may be 34 years old but is still the rock of the team and keeps the youngsters switched on and calm under pressure.
(Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
Charlotte Caslick just runs the show. She didn’t need to be as dominant in all games as the other players are taking more responsibility but in the final she did.
Demi Hayes’ defence is not recognised enough. It is not something I would have credited her with a couple of years ago. How wrong I was. And now she is also co-captain. What do I know?
If I have said it once I have said it a thousand times, Alysia Lefau-Fakaosilea has provided this team with a new dimension. She is almost unstoppable plus she can pass and offload, and she is a ferocious tackler.
The player of the final was Lily Dick. She often comes on in the second half. She is rock solid in defence but also has good hands and a pass.
Not only did she score the winning try, she was pivotal with ball in hand in the lead-up to her try.
Maddi Levi is one of the new players. She has proven to be a real asset in the air, is a very strong runner and holds her own in defence. All this and she just turned 20.
The latest player to debut was Jesse Southwell. What can be said? She is just 17 and does not look out of place – the confidence of youth.
Here are a couple of final comments.
While Tim Walsh will get the credit as the coach and has done a good job the former coach John Manenti should be recognised also.
He brought through a lot of these youngsters, gave them game time and developed others. There are currently only three players in the current squad from the 2018 World Cup that Tim Walsh took them to before John Manenti took over.
In regards to New Zealand, they are still a very, very good team with some absolute stars, such as Michaela Blyde and Portia Woodman.
An Australian win is by no means a changing of the guard. This was New Zealand’s first international game since the Olympics.
Also they have a new coach. They lost a couple of almost irreplaceable players, Ruby Tui and Gayle Broughton, from the squad. They will be better for the run and will come back in a big way next tournament.
The next stop for the World Series for both the men and women is Toulouse, France in a couple of weeks.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.