RUGBY SEVENS: The Australian Youth Olympic Women’s Rugby Sevens side has already rolled into the history books as Kellie Gibson became the first Sevens player to score a try at the Youth Olympics.
The West Australian back scored a double in a 31-0 Australian master-class against Tunisia in the opening match of the 2014 Youth Olympic Games Rugby Sevens tournament.
“It was just overwhelming going out there and running out,” Gibson said after the girls chanted “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie” in the tunnel on their way out to the field of play.
“Scoring the first try- I didn’t really realise until I got up and I was like “oh my God, I scored the first try at the Olympics for rugby”- so I’m pretty stoked.”
In front of a solid crowd at the 2,000-capacity Nanjing Olympic Sports Park in China, the Australian Sevens side scored five unanswered tries.
“I just kept lifting. I think once you do get your first touch of the game, nerves go away and you really just set in and just go for the team,” Gibson said.
“We really stepped up and we’ve really gelled over the past few days so it’s all really working well for us.”
Flyer Mackenzie Sadler capped off the first half with a brilliant 70m run down the sideline to put the Aussies up 12-0 going into halftime- with Caitlin Moran converting.
The second half picked up in the same fashion as Queenslander Marioulla Belessis put on a great show-and-go down the sideline that had the Chinese crowd in raptures. Belessis hit a gap and showed a good turn of pace to score with Moran converting again to take the score to 19-0.
The Aussies kept the pressure on as Tayla Stanford got a great turnover on the 22m line and good hands by Belessis put Gibson over for her second.
But the game was not all about attack. Tunisia, whose women’s side played just one round of the 2013/14 IRB World Series, was locked out by desperate Australian defence led by Gibson, Moran and Laura Waldie.
As the clock ticked down, substitute Dominique du Toit was pushed off the ball as the Australians defended their tryline. Australia was awarded a penalty and du Toit went the length of the field to score.
Raecene McGregor took the last points of the match with a tidy conversion, sealing the win 31-0.
Coach Scott Bowen used all 12 players on his roster, including Co-Captain Tiana Penitani in her first match back after a knee injury at the 2013 World Cup in Russia.
“It’s definitely what we were aiming for- a win. It’s a great bunch of girls out there and that’s what we were striving for- especially going for that gold,” Gibson said.
In a shock result, China defeated Canada- one of the favourites- 24-10 in the second women’s game.
This sets up a mouth-watering showdown between Australia and their Chinese hosts at 4pm local time today.
Taya Conomos
olympics.com.au
@AUSOlympicTeam
