Eight-year first puts Aussie sevens teams on track ahead of LA Games
Australia’s men’s and women’s rugby sevens teams have achieved an eight-year first, with both national sides taking gold in their respective finals.
In a huge boost to their confidence levels two years out from the Los Angeles Games, Australia’s women’s side knocked over back-to-back Olympic gold medallists New Zealand (28-26) before going on to beat the United States of America in the final 27-14.
Australia's women's sevens team celebrate after beating the USA in the final of the Valladolid Sevens. Getty Images
Making the victory all the more impressive, it was achieved without tryscoring machine Maddison Levi, who was forced to watch from the sidelines in Valladolid after injuring her knee earlier in the tournament.
The women’s success was followed by a first triumph in the 2025-26 season for the men, with Liam Barry’s men holding on against South Africa to win 26-19 despite losing James Turner to a late red card.
The victories were the first time since 2018 that both the men’s and women’s sides have taken out the same tournament.
“That’s got to be up there with one of the toughest games I’ve played,” said captain Henry Hutchison, who scored a try and made a game-high six tackles in the man of the match performance.
“South Africa have made it to so many finals for a reason but we had a lot of confidence going into this game that if we stuck to what we were good at we’d be a hard team to stop.
“I feel like the group is in a really good place. We know we’re not consistently the best in the world but we’re knocking on the door.
“There’s been a huge amount of growth from last season to this season.”
Australia's men's and women's sevens team celebrating winning gold in Spain. Getty Images
Earlier, Australia’s women overcame a 21-7 deficit at half-time to finish over New Zealand to make the final.
The remarkable comeback was made possible after a stunning conversion from out wide by linchpin Tia Hinds, cutting the deficit to five points with less than two minutes to play.
A brilliant tackle from Heidi Dennis then gave Australia possession with the seconds ticking down, and the women in gold made no mistake as Kaitlin Shave shrugged off Katelyn Vaha’akolo and then ran 40 metres to score. Hinds slotted the conversion to put Australia in front with 30 seconds to go.
A quick start in the final against the USA, where Dennis and Faith Nathan scored, ensured they wouldn’t slip up against their North American foes, having lost during the pool stages to the 2024 Paris bronze medallists.
Dennis claimed player of the final honours, replicating her efforts two years ago in Perth when she stood up in Levi’s absence with a try and two big defensive plays.
“I’m just really proud and happy with that result. We reviewed and took some accountability from yesterday’s result against the USA,” Aussie captain Isabella Nasser said.
“We’ve got an awesome group and love each other so much. Being able to get around each other and reset then put on a performance is amazing.
“We always pride ourselves on moment by moment.”
Australia's women took out the gold despite losing Maddison Levi to a knee injury. (Photo by Christopher Pike/Getty Images) Getty
Walsh, who had seen his side continually fall short in the big dance against New Zealand over the past two seasons, said he was particularly satisfied by the team’s success in the absence of winger Levi. Hinds also missed the final.
“Winning always makes it more special but we’ve had a really good season,” the 2016 Olympic gold medal-winning coach said.
“It’s been part of the plan to win when it matters. I’m really proud of the belief without Maddi Levi and Tia Hinds that they can go out and perform really well.
“It bodes well for the future and great for the program to get a result.”
The Australian women now lead the World Championship standings, while the Aussie men move up to third with one round left to go in Bordeaux.
Both sides will leave for France on Monday before the action gets underway from June 5-7.
SVNS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS VALLADOLID RESULTS
AUSTRALIA WOMEN
- Pool Match 1: Australia 26 defeated South Africa 12
- Pool Match 2: Australia 45 defeated Fiji 5
- Pool Match 3: Australia 10 defeated by USA 14
- Quarter-Final: Australia 21 defeated France 5
- Semi-Final: Australia 28 defeated New Zealand 26
- Grand Final: Australia 27 defeated USA 14
AUSTRALIA MEN
- Pool Match 1: Australia 15 defeated Kenya 10
- Pool Match 2: Australia 26 defeated Great Britain 21
- Pool Match 3: Australia 24 defeated South Africa 14
- Quarter-Final: Australia 21 defeated Kenya 0
- Semi-Final: Australia 21 defeated Fiji 14
- Grand Final: Australia 26 defeated South Africa 19
