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Superstar Levi sisters re-sign as Australia women's sevens squad named
By Finn Morton
In a major boost to the Australian women’s sevens side moving forward, superstar sisters Maddison and Teagan Levi have recommitted to the program until at least the 2025/26 season.
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Maddison was nominated as one of three finalists for World Rugby’s Player of the Year award after an incredible season in green and gold. The AFLW convert was also named in the Dream Team after setting the all-time record of 57 tries in a single season.
As for younger sister Teagan, who was also drafted by the Gold Coast Suns, the 20-year-old enjoyed a breakout season on the World Series circuit.
Teagan started the season outside of the starting side but was goal-kicking and starting as one of the primary playmakers by the time the Cup final at the prestigious Hong Kong Sevens kicked off.
The Levi sisters have formed a formidable partnership that will continue to benefit the Australian Sevens program for an additional two years before the Paris Olympics.
“The Aussie Rugby Sevens program is probably the highest level elite, full-time women’s sports program in the country,” Maddison Levi said in a statement.”
“The level of the coaching and training, the S&C, the medical side, the player development, and the standards and expectations within the group are as good as it gets.“Plus, we have experienced so much over the last two seasons – travelling the world with this group, winning major tournaments – that it just made it such an easy decision to continue on with the squad beyond the Olympics next year.“There is so much to look forward to for this program – and I will get to do it with my sister, as well as with this extended family that is our team.”
Teagan added: “I feel like I am just getting started in Rugby Sevens. It has only been two years – we have had great success, but I feel like my contribution is growing every tournament.“We work hard every day to keep improving, and it’s really satisfying when you see the results together as a team. It is such a supportive and hard-working group, and you can see the quality of the program when legends like Charlotte Caslick and Sharni Smale keep re-signing and wanting to stay and play here.“We’ve got a strong core group that has been together for a few years, and we keep regenerating it with exciting talent every year. Bring on the next three seasons!”
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This news comes as a major boost with coach Tim Walsh naming the Australian Women’s sevens squad ahead of the new-look SVNS season in 2023/24.
Captain Charlotte Caslick will lead the squad which boasts plenty of experience. World Series veterans Sharni Smale and Dominique Du Toit have also been named.
Other returning members of the World Series winning squad of 2022 include the Levi sisters, Faith Natha, Madson Ashby, Demi Hayes, Bienne Terita, Alysia Lefau-Fakosilea, Tia Hinds, Sariah Paki and Lily Dick.
Rising star Bella Nasser returns after a debut season in a green and gold, while Kaitlin Shave, Sidney Taylor and Heidi Dennis have all been picked for the first time.
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“This is a huge season for the Sevens program, obviously with an exciting new format for the HSBC SVNS and culminating with the Olympics in Paris, which is the absolute pinnacle for our program,” coach Tim Walsh said.
“Our squad still has a huge amount of talent from the dominant 2022 team, not to mention a couple of gold medallists in Charlotte and Sharni.“We have a number of players that can be considered among the best players in the Sevens world and we have added to that this year with some exciting stars of the future in Kaitlin, Sidney and Heidi.“Maddison and Teagan are genuine competitive culture drivers in our squad, which is quite remarkable when you consider how inexperienced they are.“They have quickly gone from rookies to elite players on the world circuit. Maddi has become one of the best players in the world and someone that all oppositions fear.“Teagan’s improvement over the last 12 months is a testament to her toughness, resilience, and desire to be better. We are thrilled to keep such outstanding players – and people – in the Rugby Sevens program.”
The Australian women’s and men’s teams get their seasons underway in just a couple of weeks’ time on December 2-3 in Dubai, before visiting Cape Town a week later.
Perth, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Singapore and Madrid are the other stops on the road to the Paris Games in 2024.
AUSTRALIA WOMEN’S SEVENS SQUAD – 2023/24 SEASON1. Lily Dick2. Sharni Smale3. Faith Nathan4. Dominique Du Toit5. Teagan Levi6. Madison Ashby7. Charlotte Caslick ©8. Kaitlin Shave9. Tia Hinds10. Bella Nasser11. Demi Hayes12. Maddison Levi13. Heidi Dennis22. Bienne Terita44. Sidney Taylor55. Alysia Lefau-Fakaosilea65. Sariah Paki
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The writer here ignores the fact that, following on from not taking the penalty kick, the All Blacks did manage to score a try a few minutes later. Not directly from the penalty awarded, but it is speculation to say that had they opted to take the koi they would have won. Even if they kicked it, which was no guarantee, they would still be trailing and would have had to start again at half-way.
Go to commentsI would be surprised if Sales Opoku Fordjour and Northampton’s Tommy Freeman are not in the team, Anthony Watson is also one that could go on the wing. One thing I must say is that the front 3 will get destroyed against a team like South Africa.
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