Qantas Australian Men's Sevens team 2014/15 year in review - part 2
Yesterday, we reviewed the first half of the national Men's sides 2014/15 season - today we look at how they finished the season.
February
Australia finish the Wellington Sevens in sixth place after losing the Plate Final to Fiji (24-0). A week later, the Sevens World Series headed to Las Vegas and a three-day tournament at the 36,000 Sam Boyd Stadium. The Aussies Cup campaign ended at the Quarter-Final stage with a loss to New Zealand (28-7), however the side did bounce back to topple Olympic qualification rivals England (21-14) in the Plate Final to take fifth spot.
March
At the National Sevens Championships, national Sevens player and Queensland forward Bradley Wilkin wins Player of the Tournament.
Sydney is awarded the Australian leg of the Sevens World Series for the next four years from the 2015/16 season, taking over from the Gold Coast.
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Hong Kong Sevens, the Hong Kong Rugby Union named its 'Magnificent Seven' with David Campese joining some legends of the abbreviated format including Jonah Lomu, Waisale Serevi and Ben Gollings. On the pitch, Jesse Parahi won his 30th cap and helped his side qualify for the Cup Quarter-Final stage after beating Portugal (33-5)and Scotland (21-5). A narrow defeat to then series leaders South Africa (7-5) ended Australia's interest in the Cup competition but the team recovered to see off fast-improving USA in the Plate Final (21-17).
April
A week later after Hong Kong, the Australian team endured its most disappointing weekend of the season when they could only finish tenth in Tokyo. The disappointment of defeats to Portugal (12-10) and Scotland (17-14) in the pool stage was lifted slightly with Australia's first victory over New Zealand in nearly five years (19-14). An extra-time loss to the USA (17-12) in the Bowl Final - played in horrendous conditions - capped a poor tournament for the men in gold. Australia slipped out of the 2014/15 series top four for the first time in five months as qualification rivals claimed an unlikely Cup Final triumph at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Ground.
May
Despite an undefeated Day One in Glasgow, twin defeats to the USA (14-7) at the Cup Quarter-Final stage and South Africa (21-12) in the Plate Semi-Final meant the Aussies finished seventh to fall 16 points behind England in the race for automatic Olympic qualification spots.
Australian maintained its good record at Twickenham the following weekend to reach its second Cup Final of the season. Wins over Japan (41-0) and Wales (19-14) ensured Geraint John's side qualified for the Cup Quarter-Final where they defeated Scotland (31-19). Australia reserved its finest performance of the season for newly-crowned World Series champions Fiji (33-7) in the Cup Semi-Finals although the injury-ravaged Aussies came unstuck against the USA (45-22)in the Cup Final. At the home of English Rugby, captain Ed Jenkins became the first Australian player to win 40 Sevens World Series caps.
By reaching the Cup Quarter-Final stages on Day One at Twickenham, England qualified Team GB automatically to the 2016 Rio Olympics, with Australia having to settle for fifth, 12 places behind the Red Rose in the final standings.
