As the rugby world dreams of another showdown between Australia and New Zealand, former gold medallist Alicia Quirk says Charlotte Caslick’s legacy is on the line and that the queen of sevens will be out to get one over rising star Jorja Miller.
After Australia and New Zealand cruised to comfortable quarter-final wins at the Stade de France in Paris over Ireland and China respectively, the trans-Tasman rivals moved one step closer to setting up a repeat of the 2016 gold medal match in Rio.
Standing in their way for now are Canada, who play Australia, and the United States. Canada upset France while the USA came from behind to beat Great Britain comfortably.
Yet neither North American nation will intimidate the trans-Tasman heavyweights, who have taken their dominance to greater heights over the past Olympic cycle.
Jorja Miller is the biggest threat to Australia’s hopes of winning a second Olympic gold medal in rugby sevens. (Photo by Martin Dokoupil/Getty Images)
Should both sides progress to the gold medal match as expected, the showdown shapes as one of the events of the 2024 Games.
While the Black Ferns are the reigning Olympic champions and recently took out the 2023-24 World Series, Tim Walsh’s Australian side has won the big matches in recent years taking out the Commonwealth Games, World Cup and, as recently as June, the Madrid 7s.
The semi-final win over New Zealand in the final event before the Olympics in Spain came after Tia Hinds slotted an after-the-whistle conversion from out wide to seal the stunning come-from-behind victory.
It’s a factor Quirk, one of Australia’s greatest sevens players and a vital cog of the 2016 side, believes will prove crucial heading into the third and final day of action.
“It has to be huge for their psyche,” Quirk told The Roar.
“Since Tokyo, they’ve met 13 times, the Aussies have won seven and the Kiwis have won six … but Australia’s won all the big ones. They’ve won all the big moments.
“So, the big pressure moments, Australia has shone in those occasions and, in an Olympic year, they’re the things you take note of regularly.”
Australia players celebrate the cup final win in Cape Town on December 19, 2023. Photo credit: Mike Lee – KLC fotos for World Rugby
Australia’s run to the semi-finals has been helped by keeping their discipline and keeping seven on the field.
The one exception to that in this tournament was when Kaitlin Shave, who was playing injured, failed to drop at her hips and was shown a yellow card for making high contact with one of the game’s shortest players Nadine Roos.
The strong discipline has been a stark contrast to the issues that made it harder earlier in the season, where Maddison and Teagan Levi, Alysia Lefau-Fakaosilea and Madison Ashby were shown red cards.
Quirk, who knows the lengths Walsh often goes to to ensure no stone is left unturned with their preparation, said her former coach made members of the team lower their body height going into rooms to ensure it became second nature.
“They’re strapping tape across the team doors where they would go into their physio room because it was like, you’ve got to get under this height,” Quirk revealed.
“They weren’t making a mockery of it, but they made it such a talking point, and were consistently working on it so much at training.
“It was like, ‘You’re a big girl, you duck.’ But I think those habits have been erased.”
In a game where individual match-up matter, the Black Ferns have stars littered over the park.
From Tyla King to Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, Michaela Blyde and Sarah Hirini, the Black Ferns have gold medallists who have experienced the highs and lows of Olympic campaigns.
But perhaps their biggest threat is 20-year-old star Miller, who ghosts through defenders and possesses the unteachable skill afforded to only the best in sport: time.
Quirk said Walsh would have identified the threat of Miller and told his team to put her “head on a plate” – a title that the gold medal-winning coach reserves for only the best.
“It’s mind-blowing to think this is her first Olympics,” Quirk said.
“Her ability to shake defenders is like something I’ve never seen when people are like she’s got spiders on her back and her defensive turnovers are elite.
“Charlotte [Caslick] has that same ability that she would glide through defenders, the ability to turn over the ball, but in comparison, Miller looks effortless. I’ve spoken to her after [games], she’s not even red, she’s not even puffing.
“Her and Blyde together will be the biggest threats for Australia to contain against New Zealand.
“Every time that she has had involvements and injections in the game, and she’s been given time and space, she’s been too lethal against the Australian defence.
“I know that they’ll have her head on a plate when it comes to their analysis – in a legal way – but that was always a term we used when you’re looking for opposition targets that you know that are going to change the game and who you have to nullify – it was ‘head on a plate’.”
After Caslick helped put rugby sevens on the map in Australian rugby, Quirk added that the playmaker’s legacy could be cemented by taking home another gold medal as she takes on Miller in an epic head-to-head battle.
“Being unbiased, you have to say Miller’s been the best throughout the year, but Caslick is renowned for an Olympic special,” Quirk said.
“I don’t doubt that she’ll want to make sure that she seals her own legacy and her own team’s legacy.
“She’ll be looking to get the ball in her hands as much as possible and she’ll make sure that she’s known for being the best in the world at these games.”
WOMEN’S RUGBY SEVENS FIXTURES – POOL B
Match 1: Australia 34 defeated South Africa 5
Match 2: Australia 36 defeated Great Britain 5
Match 3: Australia 19 defeated Ireland 14
Quarter-Final: Australia 40 defeated Ireland 7
Semi-Final: Australia v Canada (12:00am AEST, Wednesday July 30)
Final: 3:45am AEST, Wednesday July 30
Alicia Quirk is a rugby expert as part of Stan Sport’s Olympics lineup, the only place to watch every event from Paris 2024 ad-free, live and on demand with 4K. With exclusive features including international multi-language channels and minis, go to Stan.com.au/Olympics for more info.
Christy Doranhttps://www.theroar.com.au/2024/07/30/head-on-a-plate-the-biggest-threat-to-caslicks-legacy-and-australias-hopes-of-olympic-gold/‘Head on a plate’: The biggest threat to Caslick’s ‘legacy’ and Australia’s hopes of Olympic gold
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