It was the first time since Sydney 7s in 2017 that neither Australia nor New Zealand would win the gold in a Rugby Sevens World Series leg.

Australia finished strongly, showing their fighting spirit, but ultimately went down to their Trans-Tasman rivals 26-34 after bowing out of the quarterfinals to England. 

It was a grinding first half with neither team able to establish clear domination. 

However, England was rewarded for their defence efforts with a try and the pressure only continued when Sariah Paki was sin-binned. 

England continued their domination of possession and territory in the with two tries ending any chance of an Australian fightback.

The 21-7 loss meant Australia was headed to the fifth-place play-off were they were able to take a 29-7 victory over Ireland to set up a showdown with New Zealand.

A fired up Black Ferns outfit put on a masterclass in the first half with 29 unanswered points. Australia was unable to regain possession as New Zealand suffocated their defence with strong runs and good supporting lines.

The second half saw the Kiwis gain an extra player advantage with Emma Tonegato sin-binned but Australians refused to go down wondering, with Charlotte Caslick, Ellia Green and Emma Sykes all scoring to bring the score to 26-35 on the final whistle.

“I was really impressed with the way the team bounced back after a tough loss to England in the quarterfinals," coach John Manenti said.

“Our fightback against New Zealand also really impressed me and that showed what we can do with the ball, when we have it. 

“The performance of Emma Tonegato, Charlotte Caslick, Lily Dick and Mahalia Murphy across the tournament was really impressive and their work rate was second to none. 

“We’ll take our lessons from this tournament and get ready for the final two rounds of the HSBC Sevens World Series.”

Australia currently sits in fourth on the world series ladder with just two legs left. The top four teams after the end of the 2018-19 series will automatically qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

The next round of the Women’s Sevens World Series will take place on May 11 in Langford Canada.