Dubai SVNS: New Zealand and Australia fly high

WRAP: Olympic champions New Zealand and last season’s HSBC SVNS winners Australia – looking for their fifth title in a row in Dubai – both finished day one unbeaten to take top seedings into finals day.

Ireland’s Aimee-Leigh Murphy Crowe joined the exclusive 200-try club, while Australia’s Maddison Levi bagged two hat-tricks en route to nine on day one of the HSBC SVNS Series season, and Great Britain’s Ellie Boatman ran in seven on a dramatic opening day in Dubai.

Paris bronze medallists USA, Great Britain and Ireland, Japan, Olympic Games silver-medallists Canada, and fortunate France joined the two sevens powerhouses in the race for the opening title of the new top-tier sevens season.

Great Britain will kick off the quarterfinals against Japan, Australia face Canada, New Zealand take on Ireland and USA will play France.

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POOL A: Levi activates try-mode as champions cruise through day one

Australia’s newly crowned World Sevens Player of the Year Maddison Levi and Ireland’s Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe were among the tries as both Australia and Ireland booked their place in the quarter-finals from Pool A.

Levi followed up a hat-trick in Australia’s opening 52-0 win over promoted China, with another four in a dominant 42-7 victory over Fiji, and added two more in the 24-5 win over Ireland before being subbed off as Australia finished the first day with three wins from three.

Her try-scoring bonanza came after Faith Nathan had stepped past multiple defenders for her 100th try.

Murphy Crowe, meanwhile, reached 199 international sevens tries during Ireland’s opening 30-12 win over Fiji – before becoming just the third player, after Black Ferns’ Sevens legends Portia Woodman-Wickliffe and Michaela Blyde, to cross the 200-try mark with a hat-trick in a record-breaking come-from-behind 31-21 victory against China.

“It’s pretty surreal,” Murphy Crowe said of reaching her double-century of tries. “I scored my 100th here, as well – it’s a really special moment.”

China finished their opening day’s work in Dubai with a hard-fought 15-14 win over Fiji.

POOL B: What a difference a year makes as Britain’s Boatman sails to seven

In Dubai last December, Great Britain faced Spain in the 11th-place play-off. This year, Ellie Boatman scored four in a match for a second time, taking her tournament tally to seven, as Giselle Mather’s squad beat Spain 24-12 to book their place in the quarter-finals.

Her 95m solo run-in to beat France 14-12 with the clock in the red of their second match was, however, arguably the pick of her touchdowns.

Their day had started less promisingly, however, as Olympic bronze medallists USA beat the British 26-15, Nia Toliver scoring on her HSBC SVNS debut.

Toliver added two more as USA cleaned up against the Spanish, while Hann Humphreys and Autumn Locicero both scored on their debut in a 33-7 victory.

Spain’s day had started well, as they came back from 12-0 to win 24-12 against a France side shorn of several key players.

Les Bleues finally broke their tournament drought with a 14-5 win over pool-toppers USA to scrape into the top eight – where they are set to face USA again on Sunday.

POOL C: New Zealand make light work of Olympic rivals

Relaxed New Zealand were too strong for Canada in their final Pool C match, a rerun of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games Final between two much-changed sides. Kelsey Teneti scored twice as they won 38-10 to finish the group phase with a perfect three from three.

Earlier, Sarah Hirini, who had missed all of last season after picking up an ACL injury in Dubai last December, and who had fractured her cheekbone en route to hard-won Olympic gold in Paris, scored on her long-awaited HSBC SVNS return as New Zealand eased past Brazil 33-5 in their opening match.

The new-look Olympic champions were made to work hard in their second match, before pulling away from Japan to win 36-12.

Earlier, Japan’s Chiaki Saegusa scored two as they opened the tournament with a high-energy 40-5 win over Olympic silver-medallists Canada – before finishing their day on the wrong end of a 17-14 scoreline against Brazil.

That shock loss to Japan woke up a Canada squad featuring only four of their Olympic Games stars. Asia Hogan-Rochester ran in a hat-trick as they beat Brazil 38-12 – but they faced a nervy wait for confirmation that they had made the quarterfinals.

Day Two Schedule

(Kick-off is Dubai time – GMT + four hours)