Australia’s women’s team win Atlanta Sevens defeating New Zealand

AUSTRALIA’s women’s team has won their third straight world series title, defeating New Zealand in the final of the Atlanta Sevens.

AUSTRALIA’S women’s team has won the Atlanta Sevens, defeating New Zealand 24-19 in Sunday’s final.

The victory was Australia’s third consecutive tournament win and confirmed their status as gold medal favourites for the Rio Olympics.

The win also moved Australia up to 60 points on the world series standings, 14 points ahead of second-placed New Zealand.

Coach Tim Walsh praised his team’s ability to adapt to different conditions.

“In Sao Paulo we played an intelligent game to win in the wet whereas here in Atlanta we had to do it in a different way,” Walsh said.

“I’m so proud of the team and with our experienced players who played a lot of minutes.

“They had to find ways to adapt their game, particularly today, with the amount of time they were on the pitch.

“The opposition is improving and it’s only getting harder to win these tournaments.

“I thought England put us to the sword yesterday and are looking like the team they have threatened to be for a while.

“They were better than us and it’s up to us to find ways to get better.

“There are so many areas that we can still improve on which makes this journey so exciting.”

The Aussies exploded out of the blocks when speedster Charlotte Caslick broke the defensive line and sprinted away to score in the second minute.

Australia didn’t have to wait long for the second try as Alicia Quirk scored just two minutes later.

It looked like Australia would run away with the final when Emiliee Cherry then scored a third try in the eighth minute to lead 19-0.

But New Zealand responded just before halftime when Selica Winiata converted her own try to cut the halftime lead to 19-7.

Charlotte Caslick was named player of the final for her two-try effort.

The Australians started the second half how they started the first when Caslick grabbed her second try to stretch the lead to 24-7.

Kiwi star Portia Woodman then stormed past a number of Australian defenders to score an outstanding solo try and close the gap to 10.

Winiata scored her second on fulltime, but it was nothing but a consolation try as the Australians held on for victory.

Caslick was named player of the match for her two tries, while Emma Tonegato was awarded player of the tournament for her 10-try haul.

“Emma was absolutely world class in this tournament,” Walsh said.

“She was packing in scrums, she was out on the wing.

“She demonstrated an array of skills and is a valued member of this squad.

“Emma fits in perfectly with the team ethos we have and to watch her flourish as a person and as a rugby sevens player has been so rewarding.”

Originally published as Australia’s women’s team win Atlanta Sevens defeating New Zealand