Two key tries by leader Rhani Hagan set up the Queensland Reds when they stunned the NSW Waratahs 36-19 to take the Next Gen 7s final in Sydney today.
That's back-to-back Next Gen 7s titles for the Reds who brought their best form of the four-tournament series when it mattered most in Sydney today.
The Waratahs were the pacesetters through the preliminary rounds in Lennox Head, Sydney and Canberra but were forced to play catch up on finals day at Pittwater Rugby Park.
The Reds took care of the Waratahs (24-14) and ACT Brumbies (24-17) in the preliminaries before lining up against the Waratahs in the final.
The Reds grabbed a commanding 12-0 jump in the opening four minutes through the experienced Hagan and the team's least experienced player. On both occasions they clinically turned Waratahs mistakes into five-pointers.
The opening try was a thrill for Townsville schoolgirl Layne Prince who produced a big left-foot step to slice through the defence.
Hagan used her timing to hoodwink the Waratahs defence with a dummy and used her pace to sprint over.
It was 19-7 on the stroke of half-time when long-striding Emmisyn Wynyard scored a long-range try down the right touchline from the restart after a Waratahs try.
At 19-12 early in the second half, the match was in the balance until pacy Leilani Hills scooted over for 24-12.
Hagan put the result beyond doubt when she backed up Evie Sampson, took a neat offload and ran over under the posts.
To complete the convincing six-try performance, flyer Matilda Vial crossed in the corner.
The Reds cherished possession, applied pressure with their defence and stayed composed.
It was a superb display when it mattered by the young squad of coach Shannon Parry.
