Maddison Levi on why Australia can ‘dominate’ the 2025/26 SVNS Series

New Zealand might be the perennial women’s frontrunner, but sevens superstar Maddi Levi believes Australia’s next generation can still “dominate” the upcoming 2025/2026 HSBC SVNS Series.

Speaking ahead of the opening Series Leg in Dubai, Levi pointed to a newfound depth in the Australian squad following an injury-hit 2024/2025 season that saw a host of rookies thrown into key positions and big games.

“This season feels really exciting,” Levi told RugbyPass.

“Last year we learned a lot, and I think it created a lot of depth with all our injuries. Now those younger girls have that extra year of experience and that’s shown through our preseason games.

“The likes of Amahlia Hala are really coming into their own – she’s playing with confidence and her movement has been electric – while players like Mackenzie Davis are starting to find their feet at this level after last year.

“Then we’ve got all the girls coming back from Wallaroos and from injury and having players like Maddi Ashby back add that extra level of leadership and explosiveness to the group.

“We’re in that next Olympic cycle and it’s crazy to think about but everything we do is just a stepping stone to hopefully achieving that gold medal at LA Olympics.

“For us, I think we can really dominate the series with the girls we’ve got and we’ve showcased that in preseason.”

Australia certainly dominated the Ignite 7s in New Zealand earlier this month.

Walsh’s side ran riot across the Tasman – registering six wins without loss including two victories over the Black Ferns – but Levi is eager to see her teammates deliver under pressure on the SVNS series.

“Staying consistent is a huge goal for us and with 22 girls it’s been a really competitive atmosphere at training,” Levi added.

“Something we’ve noticed is that with those big games we’ve lost, we tended to lose them ourselves rather than other teams beating us.

“We were trying to score off first phase and ended up chasing our tails when we gave up the ball. It’s a major area we’ve noticed and tried to work on post-Olympics.”

“You can’t win without the ball, so as long as we’ve got the ball, stay composed and don’t give away turnovers, we’ll be in a position to get back into those big games.”

Levi also shared her enthusiasm at having Wallaroos trio Maya Stewart, Desiree Miller and Waiaria Ellis train with the wider Australian sevens squad – and reaffirmed her own ambition to one day play in the Test arena after her XVs hopes were dashed by injury in 2025.

“It’s been great having fresh faces around the group. They want to develop as players and I think our program being so high performing is a place where they can take their game to the next level,” Levi said of Stewart, Miller and Ellis.

“Those girls can help us too, especially me defensively, and it’s exciting to see them come across.

“I’m definitely interested [in playing for the Wallaroos] … obviously last year didn’t work out which was pretty sad but with the home World Cup coming up in 2029, it’s something I’ve got my sights on.

“I’d like to commit to Rugby Australia to then. Being a dual international is something that’s still really high on my card.”