Australia defeat New Zealand in Dubai women’s final, Charlotte Caslick interview video, Maddison Levi try highlights

Australia’s women score thrilling victory Dubai Sevens The final helped bury some of the demons that left them missing out on a medal at Paris 2024.

In the early hours of Monday morning (AEDT), the green-golds took on the Olympic champions and escaped with a 28-24 victory in a riveting result.

Faith Nathan and Teagan Levi put the Aussies on top 14-0 early with first-half tries, but the Black Ferns managed to recover in a seesaw affair.

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But it was the 15th try of the tournament for Maddison Levi – a new record – to put her team ahead in the final stages before Charlotte Caslick found a key defensive play with 30 seconds remaining to stop the Kiwis.

“We love the weather and the excitement of playing here, it’s a dry pitch and suits our style of play,” Caslick said post-game.

“We are sending more and more young girls to school every year, and it shows the depth of our program.

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“I think that’s why we have such success every year, because our program is so strong.”

Caslick’s interview descended into chaos as his team-mates swarmed in heartwarming scenes for the former skipper.

New captain Isabella Nasser was overcome with emotion after the victory.

“It’s pretty incredible, I can’t find words to describe how I feel right now and I’m on the verge of tears,” she said.

“I am so happy and proud of how the girls performed tonight and throughout the rest of the tournament.

“We’ve got a tight-knit group and some young players have emerged. The Black Ferns are always a tough team to play for and there’s some very good competition.”

In the men’s competition, Fiji claimed the title after Australia won the seventh-place play-off against Great Britain.