Paris 2024: Women’s rugby sevens blow golden opportunity

In a stunning upset, Canada triumphed over Australia 21-12 in women’s rugby sevens at the Paris Olympics, marking one of the tournament’s most memorable surprises.

Australia surged ahead early when Maddison Levi notched her first try of the tournament, exploiting a one-on-one opportunity against Charity Williams on the left flank. Williams offered the outside, and Levi seized it, sprinting past her opponent to give Australia a 7-0 lead.

The Aussies extended their advantage to 12-0 when Sariah Paki powered through a tackle to score, seemingly set to carry that lead into halftime with a chance to score again.

However, just before the break, Canada seized momentum as Williams capitalised on a defensive lapse to score, narrowing the deficit to 12-7 despite a determined pursuit from Levi.

Canada continued to press after the break, threatening to equalise with a series of passes on the left wing, but a crucial one-on-one tackle from Bienne Terita preserved Australia’s narrow lead.

The turning point came when Asia Hogan-Rochester exploited space on the edge after Australia committed to a driving maul, scoring under the posts to give Canada a 14-12 lead.

With time running out, Teagan Levi’s turnover deep in Australian territory proved costly, allowing Piper Logan to break through the defence and secure the victory for Canada with a decisive try, despite a desperate tackle attempt from Levi.

In the earlier match, New Zealand secured their spot in the final with a 24-12 victory over the United States, leaving the US to battle Australia for the bronze medal.

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