Centurion - The Australian women’s team are the toast of the rugby world at the moment, and not just for winning the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town on Sunday - but for their work off the pitch as well.
In the women's final, Australia ousted reigning champions New Zealand 24-22 in a tense clash that went down to the wire.
Despite the Bok Women’s team losing to China in the 13th place play-off and the men’s team being stunned by Ireland in their quarter-final, the SA public have embraced the Aussie women’s side.
That was clear in a video posted on Twitter by the Aussie Sevens social media team, which showed local staff dancing and celebrating alongside the players in their hotel.
Everyone wants to celebrate our #RWC7s victory 😍
— AU 7s (@Aussie7s) September 11, 2022
Gotta love the Cape Town hospitality! #TripleCrown #Aussie7s #WorldRugby7s pic.twitter.com/3ztHuYmNyS
In another heart-warming moment involving the Aussie women’s side, a video posted by ESPN Scrum on Facebook showed the Madagascar team benefitting from an act of kindness.
It was discovered that the Madagascar women’s team was low on funding and only had one kit to train and play their matches in. As soon as the Australia women’s team heard this, they took it upon themselves to provide Madagascar with a second outfit.
The exploits of the Aussie contingent have helped dissipate the sour taste left in the mouths of SA fans, who were particularly expectant of their men’s side. The tournament was the final event in charge for outgoing coach Neil Powell, who will soon take up a position as the Sharks Director of Rugby.
Powell remains the only person to have won the Sevens World Series as both a player and coach.
IOL Sport