A win in their last pool match would allow them to progress to the semi-final of the event.  A high tournament finish would keep the Aussies in good contention for the 2019-20 World Rugby Sevens series championship. 

At the start of the day they were ranked second, six points behind New Zealand.

Keeping a high ranking would also serve as a confidence booster for the Aussie team as they enter an Olympic year as defending gold medalist.  The Australians have already qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics occurring later this year. 

The Aussies played three matches on the second and final day of the Hamilton 7s, Sunday the 26th of January, 2020.

First Match of the day: Australia v the USA

The first match of the day was Australia’s final pool match against the USA.  Having played and defeated both Brazil and Russia on Saturday the 25th a win would ensure them progression to the semi-finals. 

Their USA game was described by American coach Chris Brown as a practice Olympic semi-final match.

Ellia Greene was the star of this match. She opened the scoring with the first try.  After the Aussies failed to convert their kick, the US then took the lead with a try and a conversion of their own.

The Aussies then regained the ball but a subsequent interception then led to the Aussies having to show their defensive strength to properly contain their American counterparts. 

The Aussies then produced an interception of their own, picked up by Greene who ran a significant length of the pitch, scoring the team’s second try.

The second half started with the Aussies in the lead. However, a USA try and conversion put the Australians on the back foot.  The Aussies responded with another Ellia Green try, who finished the game with a hat trick. 

Australia won the match 19-14, topping Pool B.  This ensured their place in the semi-finals where they then met Pool C winners, fourth overall ranked Canada. 

Both the Aussies and the Canadians entered the semi-finals undefeated in the Hamilton tournament pool stage.