Australia Beats England In Plate Final

Australia defeated England 21-14 in the Plate Final at the Las Vegas Sevens. The Qantas Australian Men's Sevens’ victory has also allowed the squad to pick up crucial qualification points towards the 2016 Rio Olympics.

In the final game on day three, Australia raced into a 21-0 lead in the first half. England’s Alex Gray set up Charlie Hayter to reduce the gap before the first half ended, but Australia held its ground to secure the victory, 21-14.

Qantas Australian Men's Sevens’ Coach Geraint John admitted that the squad suffered a great disappointment when they lost to New Zealand in the quarterfinals. It was a dominant New Zealand from the very first whistle with Joe Webber scoring a hat-trick to lead the first half 14-0, ultimately winning the match 28-7.

“I thought we played very well today,” John said via Rugby.com.au. “Sometimes you play six games and lost just the one and most weekends you find yourselves in the Cup semi’s or finals.”

According to John, the victory over the English had given them “good confidence.” He also applauded the Aussie squad for their great mindset going into the Plate Final. John said that a couple of his players (Jesse Parahi and Cameron Clark) weren’t really feeling at their best but still went on to the field to give support for the entire squad. He praised Greg Jeloudev, Sammy Myers and Allan Fa’alava’au for stepping out for the Qantas Australian Men's Sevens as well.

Australia has won all but one match at the Las Vegas Sevens. The squad defeated Brazil (45-0), France (31-14), Scotland (40-14), Canada (17-0) and England (21-14) during the three-day rugby tournament. Australia now sits at the fifth spot in the final standings with 13 points ahead of England.

Meanwhile, England’s coach Simon Amor is also reportedly happy with his team’s performance despite the recent loss. Speaking via Englandrugby.com, Amor said that he was “pleased with the effort and commitment” from his players. Amor added that they are looking forward to the next competitions. England secured its spot in the Plate Final after beating France 26-5.

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