The Australian women bounced back from the pain of a disappointing Olympic campaign and opened a new Sevens series with a thrilling 28-24 win over New Zealand in Dubai as Maddison Levi showed once again why she is the best player in the world. It has begun.
The Australians, who lost the bronze medal match in Paris a few months ago, have won for the fifth time in a row in Dubai thanks to an intercepted attempt by Levi, who notched a record cross for his 15th attempt of the tournament.
This comes just days after she was named Seven Player of the Year. Australia produced a great defensive play at the death of former skipper Charlotte Caslick after Australia led 14-0 before Levi’s late heroics.
“We really like the atmosphere and the weather when we play here. It’s a dry field and it suits the way we play,” Caslick said after being selected as a finalist.
“Every year we graduate more and more young girls, which shows the depth of our program. “I think that’s why our program is so strong and achieves great results every year.”
New captain Isabella Nasser was delighted with the success in Dubai as the series moved to Cape Town this weekend.
“It’s just unbelievable. I can’t tell you how I feel right now, I feel like crying,” she said.
“I’m very happy and proud of the girls for how they performed tonight and throughout the rest of the tournament.
“We have a tight-knit group and some young players have emerged. The Black Ferns are always a difficult team to play and a really good rival.”
