“Hopefully by the finals, they might have run out of cards to play, and we’ll have a few up our sleeves.”
OPINION: Tim Walsh’s proclamation in February after their loss to the Kiwis in Perth has come to fruition as the Aussies are left to celebrate their World Championship in Bordeaux.
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Heading into the back-to-back finale in Europe, the Australia Women’s Sevens team found themselves the perennial bridesmaids to their Kiwi counterparts after four straight defeats in the decider, starting on home soil in Perth.
But the gap was closing.
Outside of a thumping loss in Hong Kong, the Aussies had reduced the margin in every Final in 2026, with the one-point defeat to New York showing how close the two teams were.
It became a race to see who had more left in the tank, with injuries working for and against the Australians.
They rallied without Maddison Levi and Tia Hinds in Valladolid, with their loss to the USA in the group stage settling the scene for their pivotal semi-final win over New Zealand, giving them the edge heading into France.
The Kiwis, meanwhile, started to show signs they were human after all, losing Stacey Waaka to injury during the event.
What seemed destined to be decided in the final all of a sudden was in major doubt, needing a Canadian brain explosion and some Jorja Miller magic just to make the Final.
With their confidence high, the Aussies had one last card left up their sleeve to play.
Coach Walsh took the risk to name Maddison Levi despite her MCL injury, resting her for the first two days to ensure she was fit enough to make a difference.
What it meant was that Levi was one of the few players with fresh legs in the decider, albeit strapped into place.
The superstar broke open the game with some pieces of brilliance, scoring twice and coming up with a big turnover as the Kiwis ran out of gas.
The star power of Levi is clear for anyone to see but what is most pleasing for the group is the emergence of further stars that can anchor the program heading into Los Angeles in 2028.
Heidi Dennis is the most improved player on the World Series and is a genuine superstar alongside co-captains Bella Nasser and Madison Ashby.
Kahli Henwood stepped up with a gutsy carry and hand off to Faith Nathan for a big try and has thrived with further responsibility in 2026.
Meanwhile, the rest of the wider Sevens squad were celebrating their own success in Japan with Australia A, a mix of key contributors throughout the year and the next generation who will be in a gold jersey in no time.
It’s a fresh deck for Walsh to play when the time is right.
The overall record from the season will show the Kiwis were the more consistent team, winning six of nine events and as many wins over the Australians.
But Australia’s World Championship will show why these titles are never won in February or March and how champions peak at the right moments.
All you have to do is look at the Springboks’ back-to-back World Cups, with losses in the group stages in both the 2019 and 2023 events.
It adds another layer to the rivalry between the two nations with an Olympics on the horizon, with Australia ticking off some French redemption two years on from their nightmare and ultimate lesson in peaking at the right time.
