Australia’s women caused an upset on Saturday by beating favourites New Zealand to claim the Oceania Sevens title and securing their passage to Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009 as Oceania's top women's seeds.
By virtue of reaching the final, New Zealand will travel with the Australians to Dubai as Oceania’s second qualifier in the women’s event.
Australia did not have it so easy in the women’s final against New Zealand with Nicole Beck’s try right on full-time snatching a 22-15 victory against the side they had beaten 15-5 on day one to top the five-team round robin competition.
The Australians, coached by men’s Sevens captain Shawn Mackay, had to come from behind initially after Selica Winiata raced clear from halfway to score for New Zealand, but Debby Hodgkinson’s try levelled the score at 5-5.
Hodgkinson set up Australia’s second try with a fine break before offloading to Ruan Sims, but speedster Victoria Grant sprinted away to make it all square – 10-10 – at the break in a thrilling end to end encounter.
The Australian team celebrate their title success at the Oceania Sevens - Photo: Bruce Southwick/Zoomfiji
Sims and Grant claimed their second tries of the match to again level the scores, but some resolute defence and sheer determination it was the first ever Australian women’s Sevens side who tasted victory thanks to Beck’s match-winner.
The women’s semi-finalists were no strangers to each other, having played in the round robin stages on Friday with the same outcomes as Australia again beat Manusina – the Samoa women’s side – 29-0 with two tries from Sims and New Zealand overcame Fijiana 35-10 with Grant claiming a brace of tries.
Fijiana, the 2007 Pacific Women’s Sevens champions, did bounce back from that loss to New Zealand’s first national women’s Sevens side to beat Manusina 24-7 in the third place playoff after the sides had been all square at half-time.
