Teagan Levi is embracing added responsibility in the Sevens program as she continues her rise in the World Series.
The 19-year-old was one of the shining lights out of their disappointing quarter-final exit in Sydney.
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This led to her thrust into the starting line-up for the fifth-place playoff, scoring and setting up a try in the 36-12 win over Fiji.
It comes as the younger Levi and fellow teenage Bienne Terita 'graduated' in the eyes of Tim Walsh as he looks to expand his squad ahead of next year's Olympics.
“I think over the last couple of sessions, I’ve been working really hard on certain things to improve," Levi said to Rugby.com.au
“Finally playing 14 minutes on the field, it’s a great feeling, especially being the youngest on the field.
“For ‘Walshy’ to say that I graduated is a huge privilege but there’s still a lot of work to do for me to improve and be one of the best in the team.”
“We‘re really pleased with how we’ve managed BB (Bienne Terita) and Teagan to this point," Walsh added after the match.
“…I took them both out during the week and told them that they’ve graduated. They’ve done their apprenticeship and graduated into the team as really important pieces of the team and both came out there and certainly showed their teammates what they’re capable of.
“Really pleasing we have that depth which is so vitally important.”
It’s easy to see why Levi considers herself one of the ‘hype girls’ of the team.
Before heading to the interview zone, the 19-year-old is signing any autograph she can before filming a Zoolander-inspired video with sister Maddi and internet sensations ShepMates, only stopped by Teagan’s inability to keep a straight face.
It comes at a good time with the team needing a lift following their disappointing quarter-final exit to France, needing several results to go their way if they wish to defend their title
“Unfortunately it wasn’t the place we wanted to get but you can’t change that and we’re taking it game-by-game," she admits.
“We lost to France but we still had two more games to go so you have to bring yourself up and get the team ready. I’m one of the hype girls in the team so you can’t be sad for too long before the next game.
“The points still matter regardless of the placing so you still have to bring your A-game.”
