Maddison Levi stars as Australia claim pre-SVNS bragging rights against NZ

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HSBC SVNS Series phenom Maddison Levi scored seven tries in three games as Australia finished 2-1 against arch rivals New Zealand. The Black Ferns Sevens avoided the series with a 21-12 win on a perfect Saturday afternoon in Sydney.

Australia won two Kick On 7s matches on Friday night as the reigning HSBC SVNS World Cup winners made a bit of a pre-season statement. But Jorja Miller led the way as the New Zealanders came back in style.

Miller beat Paris Olympian Kahli Henwood in a leg race to score in the first few minutes and the successful conversion completed a dream start. That was all New Zealand early, playing with more possession in search of points.

The Black Ferns Sevens almost extended their lead but Jazmin Felix-Hotham’s lead pass wandered forward. But the New Zealanders maintained their dominance until half-time, and Felix-Hotham was the beneficiary.

Felix-Hotham slotted in past the sticks and the conversion made it a 14-point game. Australia got a chance with the ball late in the half, although they remained well parked inside their own half and failed to gain metres.

Felix-Hotham and Kelsey Teneti combined as the Black Ferns Sevens made the break, setting up Rugby World Cup winner Renee Holmes for the team’s third try. Levi hit back with a late double, but it wasn’t enough to change the score.

“New Zealand will always fight. We’ve known that for years and I’ll continue to do so for years to come,” Australia captain Isabella Nasser said RugbyPass and Rugby.com.au on Friday.

“Being able to put our bodies on the line, stand up for each other and have each other’s backs, especially defensively on our line, it puts a ton of confidence into tomorrow and then obviously into Dubai in a few months.”

Levi starred in the inaugural Kick on 7s, with the former World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year touching five tries in two matches. The try machine scored twice in the first match, which Australia won 24-19.

Black Ferns Sevens ace Jorja Miller kept the visitors in contention, but the Australians emerged victorious in a thriller. Mackenzie Davis broke through for a key score in the second half, and Kaitlin Shave swooped in for the game-winner in the dying stages.

But Levi and Australia were even better in the second match, piling on the points in an entertaining 36-26 victory. Levy took the kickoff and raced to the first points less than 10 seconds into the match, setting the tone for what was to come.

Isabella Nasser, Amali Hala, Heidi Dennis and Ruby Nicholas all made their mark, but Levi clearly stood out. Levi finished with a hat-trick as the reigning HSBC SVNS World Cup winners beat the 2026 League winners 2-2.

“We’ve been training pretty hard the past few weeks, obviously some of us have been to the Ultimate Sevens, but before that we’ve been training hard,” Nasser said.

“We knew it was coming out Bordeaux and Valladolid we had a target on our back and we knew that the teams would come to be in first place.

“Complacency never set in and we knew we had to put in a pretty good performance here to beat the Kiwis. They’re not easy to beat.”

In the men’s matches, Australia i Fiji drew in the series, which included one win each at Kick On 7s. Global Youth Sevens 2025 standout Brandon Roberts-Lintmeijer stole the show with a brace on Friday night as the Australians triumphed 24-14.

Roberts-Lintmeijer produced an accurate chip and chase to score one of his two tries, with Maurice Longbottom also getting on the scoresheet. ‘Defense wins championships’ is a cliché in the sport for a reason, and Australia are doing well to disprove the traditional SVNS giants time and time again.

The Fijians took the first leg 10-0, scoring early in both halves. These results set the scene for Saturday’s ‘series’ decider, but in the end, these teams could not be separated on the scoreboard in a dramatic 19-man draw.

Australia struck first with a well-worked finish but Fiji hit back with two tries of their own in the last three minutes of the half to go 12-5 up.

Fiji got a golden opportunity to score early in the second half, with a penalty between Australia’s 22. But a quick kick that went wrong led to a knock and the Australians quickly moved down the field.

Longbottom helped the Aussies take control with a no-nonsense effort late on as the hosts raced into a 19-12 lead. Fiji trailed by seven but made the most of the last chance to score, tying the game in the final minute.