See more Cup semifinal photos HERE.
There are no American sides in the LVI Women’s Elite final, but that’s not to say that Scion and Atavus didn’t represent the U.S. well. The former in particular played a thrilling semifinal against Australian Tribe in this morning’s semifinal, which included a big comeback and sudden-death overtime.
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Early in the second half, it was 21-7 to Tribe, which tested Scion’s switch defense out wide for three converted tries. Scion got its first-half dive-over try from Sara Parsons, and Kimber Rozier added the conversion.
“Our girls were pumped up and ready to go Thursday, Friday and then the energy kinda drained a little bit. And I do think it took a little bit to get their energy up today. [But] no excuses,” Scion Rugby Academy director Joanne Liu referenced the four-day schedule broken up by a Saturday rest day.
“We definitely made some adjustments,” Liu prefaced the second-half comeback. “We shot up a lot on defense in the first half, and … we showed some patience in the second half.
“Jill Potter came on and was able to pump some energy into the group,” the coach added. “She comes on with all the skill that you want but also just pumps in energy when she’s on the field. Everyone wants to play just a little bit better for her.”
Liu credited both Potter’s and New Zealander Tysha Ikenasio’s ability to fuse with the academy veterans. As Scion worked toward Tribe’s try line, Rozier grubbered through the defense, and Ikenasio scooped it up on the run for the Rozier-converted try. Shortly afterward, Potter finished off a series of sideline offloads in the try zone, and Rozier’s third conversion tied it 21-all at the end of regulation.
See more Cup semifinal photos HERE.
A five-minute sudden-death overtime commenced, and Tribe was able to break away on the sideline for the 26-21 win and berth to the final. On the other side of the bracket, the Maple Leafs bettered Atavus 26-12. Atavus had its veterans leaders in players like Megan Sanders and Kristine Sommer, and showcased a lot of young talent. Youngsters like Teigan MacDonald – who returned a messy scrum outlet pass for a try – Mata Hingano and Daisy Manoa, among others, stood up well to the senior field.
“We came here wanting to win,” Liu said. “Our girls had the confidence in themselves that they could win this and are disappointed that we didn’t.
“Do we want them to learn to go back and do some more sprints everyday? Absolutely,” the coach continued. “We don’t want these close games. We want to go out there and run a clinic and beat them. … Any time I’m disappointed in a loss I just look at how much the girls are getting out of it and the confidence that they’re building with each other. No complaints about this weekend.”
The Women’s Elite 7s final between Tribe and Maple Leafs will occur at 2:50 p.m. inside Sam Boyd Stadium.
Click here for the full Women’s Elite 7s scores (although they appear to be reversed).