Australia women win Commonwealth Games sevens

It was unrelenting pressure from the team in gold, with the Commonwealth Games Sevens gold medal up for grabs. Australia women never let up as they beat Fijiana 22-12 in the final, in Coventry.

They have gone one better than the 2018 Games, when they lost the final to the Black Ferns in heart-breaking fashion in overtime. This time they finished off a final and take home the big prize.

Related: Watch: The best moments of the Commonwealth Games Sevens

To start the game, Faith Nathan scored a double quick enough to blur your vision. The first was set up by two pummelling charges from Sariah Paki that took Australia mightily close to the line, before the ball was eventually worked wide left to Nathan.

The second was born from Fijian sloppiness, stemming from their own lineout and ending with a touchdown behind their own line. From that scrum, the ball was posted once again to the lethal Nathan.

Faith Nathan and Maddy Ashby celebrate (Getty Images)

In the first half there was breakdown battling from the Aussies and Maddison Levi always demanded attention from defenders. She enjoyed a marauding run down the right side to set up try three, too. Once the ball was spun the other way to Sharni Williams, the veteran looked around, cut a switch with Nathan, who duly fed Maddy Ashby for the the run-in to score.

Related: Australia Sevens on the rise… Again

Levi made it 22-0 soon enough. So you can understand why veteran Ana Naimasi felt it was time to stem the tide and scored one for Fiji the other way – converting herself. 

Dominique du Toit and Teagan Levi got stuck in defensively to help see things out, and it was left until two-plus minutes into overtime for Fiji to score again, through Sesenieli Donu, but it no longer mattered by then. Australia got the job done. 

Commonwealth Games Women’s Sevens Results

Pool A: England 57-0 Sri Lanka, New Zealand 45-7 Canada, New Zealand 60-0 Sri Lanka, Canada 26-19 England, Canada 74-0 Sri Lanka, New Zealand 38-7 England

Pool B: Australia 38-0 South Africa, Fiji 33-12 Scotland, Fiji 41-0 South Africa, Australia 50-0 Scotland, Scotland 33-12 South Africa, Australia 12-19 Fiji

5-8 Semi-finals England 36-0 South Africa, Scotland 58-0 Sri Lanka

Semi-finals: New Zealand 12-17 Australia, Fiji 24-7 Canada

7th-place play-off South Africa 52-0 Sri Lanka

5th-place play-off England 29-5 Scotland

Bronze medal match New Zealand 19-12 Canada

Gold medal match Australia 22-12 Fiji

Download the digital edition of Rugby World straight to your tablet or subscribe to the print edition to get the magazine delivered to your door.

Follow Rugby World on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.