The Qantas Australian Women's Sevens team are one of the most exciting and dynamic teams in the game. Their rivalry with New Zealand is becoming one of the great modern day sporting battles, having played against each other in the Cup Final of five of the last six Sevens World Series tournaments.
2014 has been littered with memorable moments from the Women's program. Here is our countdown:
Moment #7:
Charlotte Caslick was named Player of the Tournament at the National Championships in Canberra after helping her star-studded Queensland side to victory over a strong New South Wales in the Cup Final in March. Her performances throughout the two-day event saw her named by Women's national Head Coach Tim Walsh as the best player.
Moment #6:
With Australia trailing Canada in the series-decider at the Gold Coast Sevens in the final minute, Ellia Green collects a pass from Emma Tonegato to burn the opposition defence down the left and score a memorable try to take the game (17-15). The game was broadcast live on FOX SPORTS, with the try viewed nearly 200,000 times on YouTube.
Moment #5:
The Youth Olympics in August in Nanjing saw Rugby Sevens make its debut. Co-captained by Tiana Penitani and Brooke Anderson, Australia's young guns won seven games out of seven to win the Gold Medal. In the Cup Final, the Aussies defeated the fancied Canadians (38-10).
Moment #4:
In the Cup Final in Sao Paulo in February, Australia scored one of the team tries of the year against series leaders New Zealand. Amy Turner forced the turnover in her 22, before Shannon Parry at five-eighth began the move that saw Charlotte Caslick, Emma Tonegato and Emilee Cherry march their way up the pitch in a seven-pass move to the delight of the Brazilian crowd.
Moment #3:
In January, the entire Australian Sevens program is centralised at Narrabeen in Sydney's Northern Beaches. For the Women, this means they are one of the few professional females sporting teams in Australia allowing them to train with one another day in, day out. The centralised program is supported by the Australian Institute of Sport's 'Winning Edge' program.
Moment #2:
Having breezed through the pool stages in the first-ever Sao Paulo Sevens, Tim Walsh's side were irrepressible on Day Two. England were accounted for in the Cup Semi-Finals (31-0), before meeting a champion New Zealand side in the Cup Final. Tries from Emma Tonegato, Charlotte Caslick (2) and Emilee Cherry helped the Aussies win the tournament in a memorable weekend of Rugby Sevens.
Moment #1:
At the end of the 2013/14 Women's Sevens World Series in May, Emilee Cherry was named World Rugby World Sevens Player of the Year. A season that saw the Queenslander score the most amount of tries and points in the World Series, was capped off by a stunning 181-second hat-trick against Brazil in the Cup Quarter-Finals in the final leg in Amsterdam.
Any there any moments we have missed? What about Alicia Quirk being named Player of the Tournament in Dubai in December or Head Coach Tim Walsh celebrating his one-year anniversary in charge of the Sevens program? Maybe even FOX SPORTS presenter Sean Maloney being put through his paces when training with the Australian Women's Sevens team?
