ANALYSIS: While there are no titles coming home, weekends like this may be the spark that brings back Olympic medals in 2028 and 2032.
The Hong Kong Sevens was all about the new stadium, but for the Australians, it’ll be all about the young stars who stepped up and showed they can be stars of not only the future but also now.
Watch every match of the SVNS World Series live and on-demand, exclusively on Stan Sport.
Whenever the Women’s side enters a tournament, it feels like the Final is the pass mark, but this felt different.
With Charlotte Caslick making the move to 15s and a host of experienced injured players still on the sidelines, this side had different expectations.
Caslick has delivered remarkable success and stability to this team, and her winning influence has been felt in 15s by a Queensland Reds team that hasn’t lost since the superstar started at fullback.
The team's average age was 21.5, and Kahli Henwood, the only player 25 or older, did not feature due to a shoulder injury.
They were further hampered by Teagan Levi’s knee injury, leaving an inexperienced bench and several new players to step up.
But that’s what happened, leaving coach Tim Walsh with faith that he has the players to dominate the World Series for the foreseeable future.
Speaking of Faith, Nathan was excellent all weekend. She’s not necessarily the ‘unsung hero’ but rather the perfect one-two punch alongside Maddison Levi that any superstar team needs. Think Shaq and Kobe rather than Jordan and Pippen if both were lightning quick.
On Levi, it was another special tournament for a player who, if she stays in Sevens for at least five more years, will have every try-scoring record in the sport.
She claimed the Hong Kong record with 14 tries and willed the Australians into the fight against New Zealand in the Final.
Ultimately, the Kiwis' experience made the difference, and Jorja Miller may prove to be the main barrier to a future Australian dynasty.
Despite this, the emergence of Amahli Hala, Kiiahla Duff, Ruby Nicholas, Bridget Clark, Mackenzie Davis and Piper Simons as legitimate contributors to a silver-medal team is further proof that Walsh never rebuilds, only reloads.
"We are never happy after a loss, but as far as losses go, this one won’t keep me up worrying,” Walsh said post-match. "The performance from this team against the odds was excellent.
“…Many players levelled up their game and what they will take away from the experience will drive the team to a higher level."
As for the Men, there was quiet confidence in the camp despite a sixth-place finish in Vancouver, with those within even suggesting they thought they played better than their runners-up performance in Perth.
It showed as they cruised through the group stages, despite a defeat to New Zealand, which was there for the taking if they took their chances.
What will please coach Liam Barry is how the young guns in this squad are now difference-makers.
Aden Ekanayake is a major contender for Rookie of the Year and came up with several crucial early tries.
Sidney Harvey only featured once but delivered the magic in the bronze medal game to take down Fiji, a team reknown for its success in Hong Kong.
The pair, along with Hadley Tonga, are still eligible for the U20s World Championships and will be key players in Australian Rugby for the next decade.
Add Jayden Blake to this list as well, filling the void left by Nathan Lawson.
What Hong Kong has shown is there’s a brand new generation of talent ready to take Sevens into a new era.
