Caslick then continued her incredible form.  After receiving a pass just past the 50 metre mark, she stepped two defenders to then sprint for her first try of the game, a third for the day.  Australia found themselves up 12-0 with 3 minutes left in the first half.

Dominique du Toit then ran in a third try for the Aussies. The flyer received a pass wide and sprinted on the left side of the pitch from just inside the 10 metre to the try line. 

Caslick, the superstar of the day, then quickly followed this up in the last few seconds of the first half.  After Williams regained the ball from the Irish, at their 22-metre line, she ran forward before l passing it to Caslick.  

Caslick then beat three defenders to score the match’s fourth try. 

The Aussies entered halftime up 22-0. 

Credit must be given to the Irish, they did not give up.  After the restart, they put together a combination of passes and found space forward.  

They managed to press the Australian defence to within 10 meters of the Aussie try line. An Irish penalty though gave Australia the ball and put them back into the attack. 

Australia then moved its way up the pitch through smart passing.  An opening was found at the 22-metre mark with a Williams pop ball to Caslick who ran it home for a hat trick.  After the conversion the Australians found themselves looking at a 29-0 scoreline.

The Australian pressure on the Irish continued into the latter part of the second half. Facing minimal possession and finding themselves constantly on the back foot, Ireland continued to largely defend as the Aussies gained ground. 

After regaining the ball in the 11th minute, the Irish pressed and the ball, painfully trying to gain ground in an attempt to get their first try.  However, an interception led to Australia regaining the ball. 

The Aussies immediately passed it to the left until it found Ellia Green who was able to run it forward on the wing before passing it to Parry who with loads of space ran it in for a try. 

The Australians were now up 34-0 with 34 seconds left on the clock.  In the final seconds, Ellia Green was given a yellow for a high tackle.  The Irish kept trying to move forward but the game ended when they lost the ball.

Day One Conclusion

The Aussies finished the day clearly satisfied with their efforts.  Arguably two wins with 67 aggregate points scored and no points conceded is a terrific first day.  Their biggest pool rival France remains though, to be met tomorrow morning, February 2, 2020, at 10:35 AM.

France also won both their pool matches, 40-14 against Ireland and 42-7 against Spain. Australia remain atop pool C due to points difference. 

The Aussies will need a win or a draw to remain first in the pool and be guaranteed a semi-final place in the tournament.   A French win is not outside the realistic realm of possibility.  They beat Australia last weekend in the 3rd place match by a scoreline of 19-14. 

Should Australia come second in the pool, they would need to finish the top second-place team to progress to the semi-final.  If not they would qualify for the 5th place game, meaning the lowest position they can finish at present is 6th.

Today’s tournament featured a fundraising component for the Bushfire appeal.  A total of $1500 would be donated per Australian try.  The Aussie 7 women raised $16500 through today’s performance.