Australian women’s sevens coach Tim Walsh is backing his batch of emerging stars to ride a wave of momentum all the way to Commonwealth Games glory after claiming a first World Sevens crown in four years.
Australia’s drought-breaking title also featured a first triumph over New Zealand since 2018 and coincided with the introduction to the international stage of exciting youngsters like Maddison Levi and Teagan Levi to ride on the coat tails of Australia’s talismanic leader Charlotte Caslick.
Caslick underlined her status as a bona fide global superstar with the player-of-the-series gong and Walsh credits the 27-year-old and her 2016 Rio Olympics gold medallists with inspiring a whole new generation of players like the code-hopping Levi sisters.
“Maddi and Teagan are very different to each other but the athletic prowess and the determination that both of them show is awesome,” Walsh told AAP on Thursday.
Teagan Levi (L) and Maddison Levi (R) pose during the Australian Women’s World Rugby Sevens Series Champions Media Opportunity at Rugby Australia HQ on June 02, 2022 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
“Then you look at the impact of the team of 2015- 2016 to change perceptions and attract these girls to play rugby and it’s all coming to fruition now.
“We’ve got photos up in our team room of Maddi and Teagan as 15-year-olds getting autographs of Alicia Quirk and Charlotte and now they’re here playing with them.
“The Olympics is a massive catalyst but they wouldn’t have even taken up the sport if they didn’t see Quirky and Charlotte running down the Olympics with fake tans and ribbons as lean, mean fighting machines.
“They thought ‘OMG, this game’s a game for girls’.”
Teagan has no problem revealing she’s idolised Caslick since being poached from AFLW, like older sister Maddi, by Rugby Australia’s sevens program as a multi-talented sporting teenager on the Gold Coast.
“I was lucky enough to get a pair of shorts from her at one of the open training sessions,” she said.
“Once ‘Mads’ and I started coming to training here, she was a big influence on our lives.
“We were lucky enough to live with her at one stage and now she’s like a sister to us, like a third sister, and today we wouldn’t be where we are without her.”
After Australia lost the 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medal match to New Zealand in extra time, Walsh said the renewal of the trans-Tasman rivalry was perfect ahead of the Birmingham edition in August.
“It’s brilliant,” he said.
“There’s no better team to play in rugby but the rivalry that we’ve had over the last 10 years has been of epic proportions and been very well known around the sporting landscape.
“So it’s perfect and having won the World Series and won one and lost one against them, it sort of pumps up the story.”
RayinSydney
Roar Rookie
Comm games will be a cracker, assuming the Aus 7's get to or close to the final and the youth in that squad, they'll kill it for years to come, the Ferns, while older and having been off the circuit for sometime are just getting back to work now...will be fascinating.
RayinSydney
Roar Rookie
And Ellyse Perry, flip a coin between her soccer and cricket abilities, great athlete.
Hugh_96
Roar Pro
Seems like the women 7s are ever so slowing getting a little more coverage & deserve a lot more. Have to agree re Caslick she really should be a superstar on the Australian sporting landscape, don't understand why Rugby AU don't use her & her highlights constantly. Her skillset over such a long period of playing is outstanding. Even one of the lads from The Rugby Report Card pod who don't do a lot on the 7s said Caslick would have to be one of the best rugby players in Oz in the last decade.
Reds Harry
Roar Rookie
Terrific players the Levi sisters. Caslick of course a champion, great to see her back to her best this year. The Levi's are improving fast which indicates they are getting good coaching and they are working hard on the training paddock. Their defence has improved, and I noticed Madison was now competing hard and smart for the ball at the breakdown in the last two tournaments. And Mal Meninga would be proud of that fend.
FatOldHalfback
Roar Rookie
Paul D, I like your comparison with Sam Kerr, both play in team sports but game after game they have telling impact, both seem to play with so match heads-up awareness and then have the athletic ability to take advantage of an opportunity only they can see.
Paul D
Roar Rookie
Charlotte Caslick, Sam Kerr, Steph Gilmore. There are some once in a generation megastars of sport coming out of Australia in recent times. Perhaps in time women will get the type of recognition we see for the likes of Dan Carter, Messi and Kelly Slater.
FatOldHalfback
Roar Rookie
Charlotte Caslick = CC = Champion of Champions
Greasegun
Roar Rookie
These young women are great. Always enjoy womens rugby, 15s or 7s. Without being too code v code, rugby (even league) seems to translate much better into woman's skillsets than Australian football football.
Hugh_96
Roar Pro
Agree re marketing. At least they seem to have lifted the coverage in the last few days, but some of these 7s women should be household names in the Oz sporting landscape.
Hugh_96
Roar Pro
It's amazing how good these women are and are so young. Maddi in particular has developed quickly , only debuted at the Olympics and made the World Series Team of year
jcmasher
Roar Rookie
What an awesome story. Loving the women rugby, both 7's and 15's. Just wish RA marketing would get behind them a bit. It's been a real let down here and something that needs to change.
Dean
Roar Rookie
I thoroughly enjoy our Aussie Women’s 7’s. I don’t know why, but I much prefer to watch Women’s 7’s over Men’s 7’s. Just as I prefer to watch Men’s 15’s over Women’s 15’s. I wish the ladies all the best for the Commonwealth games and congratulate them on the World Series. The ladies play great Rugby.
DJ
Roar Rookie
Forgot that Comm Games was on this year. Hopefully a gold for the Women 7s as they have been playing some great rugby - more power to them!