Australia Women’s Sevens coach Tim Walsh has admitted his side was ‘complacent’ after their fourth place finish in Cape Town.
Walsh’s side will be out for their first win on home soil since 2018 after going down to Ireland in the Final in 2014.
Watch every match of the Perth SVNS live and on-demand exclusively via Stan Sport.
They started their season perfectly with a title win in Dubai before shock losses to the USA and France saw them miss the podium.
It’s the third time in five events, including the Olympics, that the Aussies have been defeated in the semi-finals, with only an after-the-siren try in Hong Kong last April preventing a trio of losses in bronze medal matches.
“You've got to learn from the past, but we're always looking forward…We were complacent in Cape Town,” Walsh said to Rugby.com.au
“We had a fantastic Dubai tournament. We were probably statistically one of our best ever and looked unstoppable (but) I think as players and as management, we got a little bit complacent in a four-game tournament.
“We slipped, so there are lessons and we're really looking forward to putting a performance on in Perth.”
The team has undergone a significant overhaul since 12 months ago in Perth.
Sharni Smale and Dominique du Toit have retired whilst Madison Ashby, Alysia Lefau-Fakaosilea, Kaitlin Shave and Bienne Terita are out of action with injuries.
It leaves a host of players set for their maiden tournaments on home soil. With that, comes a new level of pressure that Walsh is ready to embrace.
“Everything's a challenge. You train to play, and you train because you love it and enjoy it. We’re really encouraging them to soak it up and really express themselves,” Walsh said.
“You hear the term ‘play without fear’ but that only comes through preparation. The more preparation and the more times they're challenged and the more times they're exposed to big events, and Perth being one of the biggest, the better they're going to be for the future.
“We've been at the top of our game for over a decade and at times, the girls make it look easy. It's that continual development that they continually get these experiences to then be able to perform year on year and have that depth that we've been able to build and sustain over a long period of time.”
