The U.S. women’s rugby team didn’t get off to a good start at the 2018-19 season opener in the HSBC Women’s Sevens Series at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado.
They lose their first pool match to England, 12-10. They beat China in a tough game, 24-21. Then they got mauled by four-time Sevens Series champions New Zealand, 35-12. But by one point, they managed to slip into the last playoff spot in the championship bracket.
They didn’t mess up their chance. The U.S. defeated defending Sevens Series winners Australia, 26-5 (wow!) in the quarterfinals and slipped by France, 21-19, in the semis to get New Zealand again in the final.
The result was about the same as in group play. The Kiwis took a 21-7 halftime lead, and won, 33-7.
But the U.S. women seem to do well in season openers; the last time they finished as high as second in a Sevens Series tournament, it was in last season’s opener in Doha (QAT), where they lost to Australia.
In the third-place game, Canada crushed France, 28-0. Australia managed to finish fifth, beating Ireland, 21-19.
This is the seventh year of the women’s Sevens Series, with Australia winning for the second time in three years in 2017-18. Only two teams – New Zealand and Australia – have won, with the Kiwis taking the first three titles and the 2016-17 title. Last season was the first that Canada did not place in the top three; the best-ever U.S. finish was fourth in the 2012-13 campaign (and fifth or sixth the last four years).
Australia piled up 92 points to win last season, ahead of New Zealand (90), France (68), Canada (60) and the U.S. (56). Complete results are here.
