Aussies stun Olympic champions in thrilling victory as both men’s and women’s teams advance to semis at Perth Sevens

Both the Australian men’s and women’s teams have advanced to the semi-finals of the Perth Sevens, following a stunning upset over Olympic champions France in the men’s quarter-finals.

While the women’s squad is almost a guaranteed presence in the semi-finals of every World Series tournament, the men often face a tougher challenge.

Indeed, under Liam Barry’s guidance, the men lost their first two pool matches on Friday, but a critical victory over the United States allowed them to sneak into the quarter-finals.

Barry’s new coaching strategies bore fruit against France, with impactful bench players Ben Dowling and Maurice Longbottom securing late tries in a 24-12 victory.

“It’s incredible how we turned it around after close games yesterday,” Longbottom commented.

“We knew we weren’t far off; we just needed to dig a bit deeper and refine a few aspects of our game moving forward.”

“We were fortunate to have results swing in our favour.”

Australia’s men’s team will face South Africa in the semi-finals at 6.27pm AEDT on Sunday—a rematch after South Africa edged Australia 10-7 during pool play.

The women’s side is set to clash with Canada in their semi at 7.11pm AEDT.

Coach Tim Walsh’s squad earned a commanding 35-0 victory over Japan in the quarter-finals, having only conceded two tries across four matches so far.

“Our focus has been on the connection before making tackles, and that was clearly evident,” stated Demi Hayes from the Australian women’s team.

“It’s always a joy to play at home. It’s such a treat to walk back and see our family, and the support from the fans is incredible.

“It’s truly special to witness young girls aspiring to be like us one day.”

In the other women’s semi-final, New Zealand will go head-to-head with France, while Argentina will take on the surprising Spain in the men’s final four.