Word has it, this week there will be an announcement about which Sevens women will be having a crack at Super Rugby Women. Brittany Mitchell from ESPN indicated on X that the Queensland Reds will be the primary beneficiary. So that is some exciting news.
Back to Cape Town.
The new format was odd with teams needing to only play and win just four games. At the same time, it meant errors in a game seemed to have a bigger consequence. Teams could not afford to lose.
Personally, I am not really a fan of the format. It will be in place again when there are back-to-back tournaments; for example, for Singapore after Hong Kong.
The Aussie men, after less than favourable showings in Dubai and Cape Town are sitting in eighth position with four tournaments remaining. They are right on the borderline of the relegation playoff zone.
In just her third year on the World Rugby SVNS Series, Maddi Levi is now fifth on the all-time try scorers list. Sensational.
Did you know of the 13 players in Cape Town, nine are 22 years old or younger, including the captain Bella Nasser? It is quite possibly the youngest squad on the SVNS Series.
For the women, the Cape Town semi-final and third place play-off losses are reminiscent of the Olympics and other losses the women have had over the years.
Both the USA and France bring a game that typically unsettles the Aussie women. That is, physicality, pressure in the tackle, pressure at the ruck. If the Aussies have possession and can play their up-tempo, skills based game, then they will win nine times out of ten. But if they are pressured and do not retain possession, things can get a bit unstuck. Their possession game in Cape Town was impacted by some very poor kick restarts. Teams have also found the best way to play Australia is to slow the game down. Instead of quick taps, set a scrum.
When this all occurs, the Aussie women find it a challenge to wrestle back the game.
In the USA semi-final, I cannot recall such a dominant and game-defining effort than from Nia Toliver, who at 26 years old only made her debut in Dubai. Not just powerful and fast with ball in hand, twice she used her power to blow through with a counter ruck to give the USA the ball.
It is also worth noting around half of the USA squad only made their debuts in Dubai.
A difference between Australia and the USA, France and possibly New Zealand appears to be the pathway to their respective Sevens squads. The Aussie women appear to come through touch football, then through junior rugby sevens, then Next Gen 7s pathways. Players such as youngsters Mackenzie Davis, Piper Simons and Ruby Nicholas are highly skilled and fast but do not have the physicality.
On the flip side, it seems the USA and French players come through a 15s background. The USA players, in particular, are older and seem to be more physically developed.
This different pathway also results in a challenge for the Aussie women in transitioning to 15s at a later stage. Apart from Charlotte Caslick and injured Alysia Lefau-Fakaosilea, it’s possible none of the squad have ever played 15s.
With the injuries to Bridget Clark, Bienne Terita and Lefau-Fakaosilea , coach Tim Walsh might check out some up-and-coming power players over the Christmas period who can bring a bit more physicality.
Dubai wasn’t great and, unfortunately, Cape Town was worse.
Pre-tournament, it was possible they could win both or lose both of their Pool games. Neither outcomes would be a surprise. So, two Pool losses it was, not really a surprise, just disappointing. But they finished the tournament with wins over Ireland and the USA to grab ninth.
In the Pool games, the Aussie men were more than in the games with losses of just 19-14 and 19-12. In both games, it was errors, a missed tackle or dropping a ball cold at crucial times that directly led to tries. Putting it politely, the team will be more than irritated that they lost both games.
Neither Ireland nor the USA are currently playing well. So the Australian play-off wins (12-7 and 19-12 respectively) were nothing to write home about. But a win is a win and good for the youngsters.
– Henry Paterson is very important to the team, especially with Nathan Lawson leaving. It appears he must have got an injury, he did not play in the last two games.
– The overall defence is very good. In Dubai, they let in the second lowest number of tries.
– The attack still needs work, a lot of possession and effort for not much reward. They are missing an X-factor like Maurice Longbottom and Dietrich Roache to open up the defence and also need some out-and-out pace.
– With a couple of players out injured, they were able to give the new players such as Sid Harvey (19 years old), James McGregor, (20) Aden Ekanayake (19), Ben Dalton (19) and debutant Jayden Blake (22) some solid game time. This will build depth but it is a bit of a challenge to learn on the job. They will all be better for it.
The new coach Liam Barry will now get his hands on the players and will be in the saddle for Perth in January.
Anyway, for both teams it is all done and dusted for 2024.
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.
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