The heartache is still too raw to call it a day of valuable pain and learning but the Queenslanders in Byron Bay for the Next Gen 7s finale will eventually see it that way.
The Reds sevens girls led 12-0 in yesterday’s deciding game of the tournament and series only to falter 21-12 against a NSW Waratahs line-up with just as much quality.
The pulsating contest between the best young rugby sevens talent in Queensland and NSW was neck-and-neck for all three tournaments in Sydney, Toowoomba and Byron Bay.
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A photo finish in the Melbourne Cup or a golden-point match would not have been closer than this showcase of skill, speed and youthful effort.
After 11 head to-head matches across those three tournaments, the ledger read five wins to the Reds, five to the Waratahs and the 7-all draw which opened yesterday’s Byron Bay action.
It all came down to the final match, 14 tense minutes of wildly fluctuating emotions in which both sides thought they had it won.
All four matches in Byron had an elevated pressure which is really the point of the Next Gen 7s series to identify the next crop for the elite Australian squad, Australia A and Australian Under-18s.
Over the three tournaments, there were girls who had excellent moments, others who were consistently good. There were others who made big tackles and then missed ones they shouldn’t have.
There were fast feet and faster on display. There were smart, fast decisions and others that might have been taken back if that were possible.
There were steppers who found holes and runners who found gaps that closed on them.
The Reds had regularly conceded the first try in matches all series and they did again in Game One in Byron.
Standout Amahli Hala tied it up at 7-all with a long-range scoot down the left touchline in her pink headgear.
In Game Two, the Reds wrestled superiority straight after half-time (7-all) when the kick-off expertise of 2023 Wallaroo Carys Dallinger came into play.
The Reds regained the ball from a contested kick-off, Dallinger made a strong charge herself and Hala eventually scored after good pressure.
Caitlin Urwin looked to have settled the match with a pick-and-go try but Hala’s full range of skills were called on at the death when she mowed down a Waratahs attacker with a fine tackle.
The Waratahs got a 14-0 jump in Game Three before the elusive Rhani Hagan scored on half-time.
A Sophie Duff try tied it at 14-all before the Reds conceded a try from the kick-off to show yet again you always have to be switched on in sevens.
On full-time, Hala put on a terrific shimmy and step to dart by a hapless defender in a one-on-one contest. She ran 60m to score. With no Dallinger on the field, the conversion was missed in the wind for a narrow 21-19 loss.
Game Four for the title had the twists you expected. Duff ran a strong line for the opening try after sustained build-up.
A quick tap from a penalty was worth another from Olympian Kahli Henwood for 12-0.
Just before half-time, Dallinger made a play at an intercept but knocking the ball down cost her a yellow card.
With only six Reds players on the field, the Waratahs went try-try for the 14-12 lead that swung momentum in their 21-12 result.
The final match was a fitting climax. A winner at last.
“It was a rollercoaster day. We were hungry to win and it definitely stings that we came up short,” Reds sevens co-coach Mari Belesis said.
“The effort was there throughout. How close it was between these two teams throughout the series created exactly what the Next Gen 7s was designed for.
“The series is all about player development and preparing players for the next level. You want to see skills and composure being tested under pressure.
“I know our girls will really have learnt a lot playing with Kahli (Henwood), who was an Olympian in Paris just a few months ago. Likewise, the NSW girls would have learnt playing with Australian squad girls like Ruby Nicholas.
“How important it is not to lose concentration and realising that little moments can have big outcomes is all part of that learning.”
Hala was a silky game-changer throughout the three tournaments. She scored three tries in Byron Bay and seven for the tournament, equal with newcomer Fa’agase Tupuola-Palale, who went without yesterday.
The pacy Hagan (five), Duff (three) and Tahlia Evans (three) also shared in the Reds’ 32 tries for the series.
