“We’re bitterly disappointed”, she said. “I might consider participating in Tokyo 2020”, Figueroa said.
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In a hard-hitting encounter, Kiwi sweeper Tyla Nathan-Wong tracked back superbly to drag down Australian flyer Emma Tonegato with the line beckoning.
And reflecting on Japan’s epic triumph against New Zealand, Amor added: “People who’ve watched sevens this year, you would be a courageous person to predict any game”.
“The future of women’s rugby in Australia is very bright”, Parry added.
She was feeling no pain with a bronze medal waiting to be put around her neck, but knew there would come a time … They had to attack with intelligence and as one, not seven individuals.
“We have such different talent on our team, and we have brought them together, and I think it’s about having those different balances of athletic background”, Hughes said.
But the medal was considered bittersweet for some on the team, as it followed a disappointing 17-5 semifinal loss to eventual champion Australia.
New Zealand’s Portia Woodman, runs to score a try during the women’s rugby sevens semi final match against Great Britain at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, Aug. 8, 2016. The gold medal comes just 10 weeks after Australia won their maiden World Series tournament.
Sevens is a reduced version of the 15-a-side game in which McCaw was a star. There were some defining calls that swung the game a little bit.
“We started off really well and showed the physical side and it was one of those things”.
“It’s been a massive journey for us and to be centralised two-and-a-half years ago, it’s a credit to our management and all our supporters back home”, she said.
‘We’re still on a massive high I think.
That was still within New Zealand’s comeback ability, but Woodman dropped the kickoff ball – “I didn’t brush (the yellow card) off as quickly as I wanted to” – giving over possession which Australia ultimately used to score from a Caslick tap-and-go, effectively sealing the gold medal at 24-5 with less than four minutes to go.
Australia headed into the Olympics as favourites to win gold after claiming the Women’s World Sevens Series in May.
The win vindicates the investment the Australian Rugby Union has made in women’s sevens since the 2012 Olympics in preparation for the sport’s maiden Games appearance in Rio.
It may have been a return to the Olympic Games for men’s rugby after a 92-year absence (1924 was the last time the sport was in the Olympic Games), but it was a historical debut for their female counterparts.
“I feel like a superhero”.
“We need to keep working hard, and I am sure we will”.
“What a freaking historic moment for us”. The women’s soccer team, by winning the World Cup in 1999, inspired a whole generation of young girls to play soccer.
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In just a few days of competitions, women have been setting the example, defying gender stereotypes and becoming national heroes for their great successes on the field of play.
