The USA Falcons and Aussie Pearls resumed their five-game series inside Sam Boyd Stadium this morning, and the visitors pulled away in the second half for the 40-7 victory. The Pearls lead the series 2.5-1, counting Saturday’s match that was called at half.
“We’re just rolling with the punches,” USA 7s hooker Ryan Carlyle said of Saturday’s canceled games. “We’re just grateful for the opportunity to have the games here in the first place. So expecting it to go exactly how we thought it would go is pretty unrealistic. And it worked out for us because now we get an extra game in the stadium.”
Saturday’s games were scheduled for the Silver Bowl complex, and debris on the pitch caused a deep leg gash to an Australian player, effectively canceling play for the day. USA Sevens opened up early and rescheduled game four for a half hour before the men’s tournament.
“Defensive wise we just wanted to focus on staying up and preventing them from being able to play. Attack wise, we just want to keep moving forward. So attacking forward, hard, continuously,” Naya Tapper said of goals heading into this morning’s game.
“I like the five games against one opponent, only because it shows your growth more,” the power wing added. “And the caliber of team we’re playing, that’s just a great opportunity for us.”
The first half was competitive, and the Falcons reacted well to the Pearls’ fast-rushing defense, as ballcarriers like Jordan Gray and Kate Zackary checked their pass, took on their defenders and got the ball past their opposite for the offload to a support player running on. A turnover halted the drive, and the Pearls used their first touch to score an 80-meter try. Evania Pelite took the switch past the defense for the try, which Cassie Staples converted, 7-0.
Not long after the restart, another massive Hope Rogers collision put Pelite on the ground, and play did not break until a try was scored. Zackary sent a skip pass to Kelsi Stockert for a nice break, and the Falcons worked the player advantage to put Nicole Heavirland into the try zone. The captain converted her own try for the 7-7 tie.
As the clock wore down, Charlotte Caslick exploited a speed mismatch and angled between the final two defenders. A blind pass back inside hit the deck, and the Falcons recovered. A penalty returned the ball to the Pearls at the 50 meter, and Sykes stepped past the line for her converted try, 14-7 into the break.
USA 7s coach Richie Walker indicated that while this series was pinged as the team’s toughest tournament all year, the outing was also going to be used to give the entire 14-player roster ample, equal playing time. Carlyle and Tapper were both on the bench, and their presence aids the team’s speed quotient, among other attributes.
“I’m so impressed when we have younger players play,” Carlyle said. “They pretty much just fit seamlessly into the team and the system. They’re paying attention sometimes way more than us because they’re trying to learn the systems. I’ve never noticed a hole in the defense or a weakness in the attack when we bring up newer or younger players.”
Australia dictated the second half. Dominque du Toit flashed her speed for an 80-meter try, and space opened out wide for Staples to score again. Emma Tonegato took the pitch, and she worked the ball off the scrum for an individual 40-meter try. Caslick accounted for the final score of the day, taking advantage of an overload and fast-up defense, 40-7.
“We’re excited for this next game. The stadium’s actually going to be full and we’ll have a lot more fans,” Carlyle said of the 2:18 p.m. match. “I think that’s a little bit of a comfort for us. We’re used to those bigger feeling stadium games and knowing that our fans have our back no matter what, even if it’s the fifth game against the same opponent.”
Carlyle also took a longer-lasting effect of the series, in particular the 26-12 win in game two.
“[That game] definitely built confidence, especially because leading up to this series we just focused on how to beat Australia,” Carlyle said. “So knowing that what we worked on actually works, listening to the coach actually works, trusting the program actually works – I think that’s going to give us a lot of confidence moving forward against any team.”