Aon Uni 7s: Griffith grab maiden title at Brisbane Uni 7s

Sun, Sep 23, 2018, 5:19 AM
Montanna Clare
by Montanna Clare
Griffith University captain Kiri Lingman and coach Moana Virtue spoke after winning their maiden Uni 7s title in Brisbane.

With a Bronze medal in Tasmania and a Silver in Canberra, Griffith Uni have finally pushed to the top and won their maiden Uni 7s title in Brisbane.

In a first for the competition, three different teams have now taken out the Uni 7s title in 2018.

Griffith Uni, Macquarie Uni and the University of Queensland now all sit on top of the Aon Uni 7s ladder with 54 points each.

The three teams all now have a Gold, Silver and Bronze each.

There are only two titles left in the 2018 series, and for the first time in Uni 7s history there's no clear favourite. 

Keep up with the live scores and fixtures here. 

Here's how the opening day unfolded.

3:10 pm - Griffith take out their maiden Uni 7s title


Griffith Uni have nabbed their maiden Uni 7s title in a 28 -7 victory over fellow Queensland side UQ. 

The two teams last met up at the end of day one, where Griffith crept ahead of the home side for the win.

A yellow card to UQ gave Griffith the upper-hand as they scored twice in the first half, leading 14 – 7 at half time.

Griffith's Kahli Henwood was a standout player throughout the competition, and she help seal the teams maiden win with a double in the gold medal match.

Result 

UQ 7 v Griffith 28 


2:40 PM - MINOR PLACINGS

Macquarie and Sydney Uni battled it out in Sydney Darby for the Bronze medal and bragging rights.

Sydney Uni’s Jakiya Whitfield scored a double in the first two minutes, with Macquarie Uni’s speedster Montana Walters answering back with her own double to even the score 12 – 12.

Two more tries from the Macquarie Rays and the match was sealed, the Rays taking the bronze medal 24 -12.

Katrina Barker from UNE set the tone of the fifth-place playoff when she scored the first points of the game from a chip and chase against UC.

Grace Hamilton scored an incredible length of the field try to put UNE just one point behind UC with one minute to go of the match.

Maya Stewart from UNE made a try saving tackle to stop UC from scoring again, but UC clinched the fifth-place nail biter 22 – 21.

Adelaide cruised to a seventh-place win over UTas who was left try less at full time.

Bond Uni also sailed to a 41 – 0 win over Melbourne Uni, for ninth place.

Five different players each scored a try for Bond with Sophie Holyman nabbing a double for the Queensland side.UC clinch a nail biting 22 - 21 win over UNE for fifth place. Photo: Sportography.

Results

Bronze medal match

Sydney Uni 12 vs Macquarie Uni 24

Fifth-place playoff

UC 22 vs UNE 21

Seventh-place playoff

UTas 0 vs Uni of Adelaide 24

Ninth-place playoff

Bond Uni 41 vs Melbourne 0 

12:30 pm - Semi-finals

The grand final will be a battle of the state as Queensland sides UQ and Griffith come out on top after the semi finals.

UTas had cracker of a morning when they drew with powerhouse Griffith in round five, but UC proved too tough leading 19 – 0 at half time in the qualifying final.

UC is through to the fifth-place matchup, piling 29 unanswered points on UTas who will meet up with the Uni of Adelaide in the ninth-place playoff.

UNE and the Uni of Adelaide were evenly matched and had two wins a piece coming into their qualifying final.

The game was all tied up at 14 -14 with three minutes to go, when Maya Stewart scored the match winner for UNE projecting her team into the fifth-place final with UC.

Sydney Uni topped Pool A, and UQ narrowly missed out on the top position in Pool B to Griffith.

UQ held the lead at half time 12 – 5 against Sydney Uni, but Shenae Ciesiolka’s second half double for UQ pushed them into the grand-final matchup.

Canberra 7s grand finalists Macquarie Uni and Griffith, were caught in a 0-0 stalemate until Griffith’s Kahli Henwood scored off the last play in the first half.

Griffith wouldn’t relent and piled another three unanswered tries on Macquarie, the final score 22 – 0.

Bragging rights are on the line for the Sydney sides as Macquarie and Sydney Uni face off for the bronze medal.

Results

Fifth-place semi-finals

UC 29 vs UTas 0

UNE 21 vs Uni of Adelaide 14

Major semi-finals

Sydney Uni 12 vs UQ 22

Griffith 22 vs Macquarie Uni 0

10:30 am - Round five

In a complete reversal of their day one performance, Macquarie Uni came out firing against the Uni of Adelaide in the day two opener.

Macquarie put five unanswered tries on the Uni of Adelaide and snagged themselves a spot in the semi-finals.

Sydney Uni and UC were on equal points headed into round five as they battled it out for the top position in Pool A.

In an incredibly tight game, Jakiya Whitfield from Sydney Uni scored the match winner with a phenomenal length of the field runaway try.

Sydney Uni now sits on top of Pool A and will face off with home side UQ in the semi-finals.

In a replay of the Canberra 7s Gold medal match, Macquarie Uni and Griffith will meet up in a grand final decider.

UTas put up a solid defence against Pool B toppers Griffith in their round five matchup, with the score all tied up at full time, 17 -17.

UNE got their second win of the Brisbane competition in last match of the pool stage against the Uni of Melbourne.

Melbourne snagged a last minute try but it wasn't enough to makeup for UNE's dominance throughout the game, the final score 31 – 7. Defending champions Macquarie Uni will face of with Griffith for a spot in the grand final. Photo: Sportography.

Results

Pool A

Macquarie 29 vs University of Adelaide 0

UC 17 vs Sydney Uni 22

Pool B

Griffith 17  vs UTas 17

UNE 31 vs University of Melbourne 7

TEAMS

Pool A

Macquarie Uni Rays

IN: Sarah Halvorsen

OUT: Page McGregor

Sariah Paki

Kennedy Cherrington

Bella McKenzie

Maddi Anderson (cc)

Emily Chancellor (cc)

Layne Morgan

Sarah Halvorsen

Madison Ashby

Olivia Brooks

Katie Harrison

Montana Walters

Mia Wood

13th:  Katarina Amosa

Bond Uni

IN: Gemma Walker, Tyler Birch

OUT: Taylor Fenton, Stephanie Rutherford

Millie Boyle

Georgia Page

Gabrielle Senft

Sophie Holyman

Trinity Mamoe

Jessika Elliston ©

Kathy Baker

Tarni Peep

Madison Schuck

Eve Higgins

Gemma Walker

Tyler Birch

University of Canberra

IN: Kiara Meredith-Brown, Darcy Read

OUT: Yasmin Meakes, Tsania Afamasaga

Kasey Dragisic

Ngawai Eyles

Jane Garraway

Abby Gustaitis

Michaela Leonard

Paremo Marsh

Kiara Meredith-Brown

Claudia Obst

Georgia O’Neill

Darcy Read

Tayla Stanford

Sammie Wood ©

University of Adelaide

IN: Brianna Nathan, Lauren Meyer, Mahalia Murphy, Rebekah Jones, Zakiya Kereopa, Zara Lee

OUT: Maddy Smith, Joanna Hawke, Lauren Kildare, Gemma Monaghan, Cindy Chang, Zahn Anthony

Alice Gregory

Brianna Nathan

Ellie Konopka

Kelly Rowe

Lauren Meyer

Lauren Potter

Mahalia Murphy

Olivia Bernadel-Huey

Rebekah Jones

Taj Heald

Zakiya Kereopa

Zara Lee

University of Sydney

IN: Kim Davey, Tiarne Cavanah, Ash Quinlan, Iliseva Batibasaga

OUT: Emma Wade, Jordan Parsonage, Barbara Waddell, Anneliese Hughes

Tilly Vaughan Fowler

Chantelle Miell

Kim Davey

Freya Clayhills

Tiarne Cavanagh

Sydney Gregson

Jakiya Whitfeld

Olivia White

Claudia McLaren

Iliseva Batibasaga

Kirrily Laws

Ash Quinlan

Pool B

Griffith University

IN: Alysia Lefau-Fakaosilea, Kahli Henwood, Anthea Moodie, Rhiannon Revell-Blair, Alana Elisaia

OUT: Samantha Treherne, Lily Dick, Georgie Friedrichs, Kirby Sefo, Sophie Bell, 

Eliza Flynn

Kiri Lingman

Laura Waldie

Sophie Quirk

Kahli Henwood

Charlotte Kennington

Anthea Moodie

Rhiannon Revell-Blair

Yolanda Gittins

Alana Elisaia

Alysia Lefau-Fakaosilea

Ivania Wong

University of Queensland

IN: Shenae Ciesiolka, Erica Fowler, Gemma Huack, Katie Muscat

OUT: Jannicke Ijdens, Sarafina Vosuqa, Haj Mosby

Marioulla Belessis (co-captain)

Shenae Ciesiolka

Terri-Anne Egan

Erica Fowler

Georgia Hannaway

Gemma Hauck

Samantha Hopkin

Grace Kaihau

Pleuni Kievit

Katie Muscat

Mackenzie Sadler (co-captain)

Bodil Van Wijnbergen

Meg Gemmell (13th player)

UNE

Team not supplied

University of Tasmania

IN: Courtney Cook, Rebecca Hyland

OUT: Molly Baxter, Emma Sykes

Meesa Albert

Eilidh Sinclair

Caitlin Ryan

Courtney Cook

Lauryn Cooper

Sydnee Watanabe

Kiki Morgan

Viivi Hokkinen

Rebecca Hyland

Georgia Stewart

Michaelyne Arumbi

Wynonah Conway

University of Melbourne

IN: Reni Hicks, Karin Gunatilake,Tamara Whiteside, Emily Wellings

OUT: Jessica Anderson, Sophia Power, Sophie McDonald, Jessica Roberts

Casey Homewood

Ryan Carlyle

Emma Wunsch

Lydia Quedley

Ta Tupou

Reni Hicks

Amy Williams

Jordan Holloway-Clarke

Karin Gunatilake

Annie Buntine

Tamara Whiteside

Emily Wellings

STANDINGS

1. Macquarie Uni- 38

2. UQ - 36

3. Griffith - 34

4. UC - 24

5. Bond Uni - 20

6. Uni of Tasmania - 18

7. University of Sydney - 18

8. UNE - 14

9. University of Adelaide - 14

10. University of Melbourne - 4

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