Australian Men’s Sevens Head Coach Geraint John said “the day could not have gone any better” after his side beat England, Uganda and Sri Lanka on Day One at the XX Commonwealth Games overnight. Australia will play Wales for a place in the Medal matches at 9.28pm on Sunday evening (AEST) after topping Pool D at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow.
Head Coach Geraint John said: “We were really good today and who wouldn’t take three wins out of three on Day One of any tournament? There was a difference in class between us and Sri Lanka and then Uganda but we put out a statement with our intensity and desire when we took on England.
“We couldn’t have asked for much more. We’ve worked hard on our restarts and it was great to see us so effective in that area. It is an area we have perhaps struggled with a bit in the past but they are so important to the game now.
“We’ve said throughout that we will only take this tournament one game at a time. Tomorrow will be no different. We have Wales first up and we will look no further than that.”
Men’s Sevens skipper Ed Jenkins added: “We made an effort to not look beyond game one against Sri Lanka and then Uganda. The game against England was always going to be a tight encounter but our defence was outstanding. It laid the platform for the win. We defended as a unit, which allowed us to pin them back in their own half and frustrate them. It was a good display against a team that is always tough.
“To have the likes of Sean McMahon, Pama Fou and Tommy Cusack in the side gives us several options from the restarts which is so crucial in Sevens.
“For me personally, the last few days have been a bit of a whirlwind. It was an amazing honour to meet the Queen. I love being part of an Australian team competing at an event such as the Commonwealth Games. It’s quite hard to see athletes picking up gold medals for our country across Glasgow and staying focussed but we’re here to do a job.”
Australia outclassed and overpowered a beleaguered England outfit despite falling behind early on to a lovely chip and chase from Marcus Watson. However, Australia hit straight back through Cameron Clark just before the break after being set up by Jesse Parahi. The second half was all Australia, however, as the English couldn’t cope with the side’s aggression at the breakdown. After England were reduced to six men, Sean McMahon made the man advantage count when he powered over in the right corner after a patient period of possession. With the Australians backed by a vocal local crowd, Parahi went over in the same corner with three minutes left to seal the win (15-7).
Australia earlier racked up 105 points in two games to see off Sri Lanka and Uganda. Against Sri Lanka, Cameron Clark scored after 12 seconds to set the Aussies on their way before tries from Pama Fou, Con Foley, Clark again, James Stannard and Jesse Parahi gave them a 36-0 lead at half-time. Second half scores from Stannard, Tom Lucas, Greg Jeloudev and Clark once again secured a resounding 62-7 victory in Head Coach Geraint John’s first match in charge of the Men’s Sevens team.
Against Uganda, Greg Jeloudev crossed over four times to help Australia to a 43-5 win. Jesse Parahi (2) and Tom Cusack also scored.
In the other Cup Quarter-Finals to be played later tonight (AEST), Samoa play England, South Africa take on the host nation Scotland while New Zealand meet Kenya. The winner of Australia’s Cup Quarter-Final clash with Wales will play New Zealand or Kenya in the Semi-Finals.
Australian Men’s Sevens results in Glasgow, Scotland on 26/27 July:
Australia 62-7 Sri Lanka, Pool D
Australia 43-5 Uganda, Pool D
Australia 15-7 England, Pool D
Australian Men’s Sevens fixtures in Glasgow, Scotland on 27/28 July:
Australia v Wales, Cup Quarter-Final (9.28pm AEST, 27 July)
