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

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

Australia prevailed in the two Kick On 7s matches on Friday evening, with the reigning HSBC SVNS World Championship winners making a bit of a statement in pre-season. But Jorja Miller led the way as the New Zealanders bounced back in style.

Miller beat Paris Olympian Kahli Henwood in a footrace to score the opener inside the first few minutes, with the successful conversion capping off a dream start. It was all New Zealand early on, playing with a majority of possession in search of points.

The Black Ferns Sevens nearly added to their lead out wide, but a Jazmin Felix-Hotham pass in the lead-up drifted forward. But the New Zealanders maintained their dominance through to half-time, and it was Felix-Hotham who benefited.

Felix-Hotham crossed near the sticks and the conversion made it a 14-point ball game. Australia got an opportunity with the ball late in the half, although remained parked well inside their own half and weren’t able to make metres.

Felix-Hotham and Kelsey Teneti linked up as the Black Ferns Sevens made a 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 result.

“New Zealand are always going to put up a fight. We’ve known that for years and I’ll continue for years to come,” Australia captain Isabella Nasser told RugbyPass and Rugby.com.au on Friday.

“To be able to put our body on the line, to step up for each other and have each other’s backs, particularly in defence on our line, it sets heaps of confidence heading into tomorrow and then obviously Dubai in a couple of months.”

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

Black Ferns Sevens ace Jorja Miller kept the visitors in the fight but the Aussies emerged victorious in a thriller. Mackenzie Davis sliced through for a crucial score in the second half and Kaitlin Shave dove over for the match-winner in the dying stages.

But Levi and Australia were even better in the second fixture, piling on the points in an entertaining 36-26 win. Levi claimed the kick-off and raced away for the first points less than 10 seconds into the match, setting the tone for what was to come.

Isabella Nasser, Amahli Hala, Heidi Dennis and Ruby Nicholas all made their mark, but Levi was the clear standout. Levi finished with a hat-trick as the reigning HSBC SVNS World Championship winners went two from two against the 2026 League Winners.

“We’ve trained pretty hard the past couple of weeks, obviously some of us were at Ultimate Sevens but prior to that we trained hard,” Nasser said.

“We knew that coming out of Bordeaux and Valladolid we had a target on our back and we knew that teams were going to come for us being in top spot.

“Complacency never announced itself and we knew that we had to put on a pretty good performance here to beat the Kiwis. They’re not an easy team to beat.”

In the men’s matches, Australia and Fiji played out a series draw, which included one win each at the Kick On 7s. 2025 Global Youth Sevens standout Brandon Roberts-Lintmeijer stole the show with a double on Friday evening, as the Aussies triumphed 24-14.

Roberts-Lintmeijer produced a pinpoint chip and chase to score one of his two tries, and Maurice Longbottom also got on the scoresheet. ‘Defence wins championships’ is a cliché in sport for a reason, with Australia scrambling well to deny the traditional SVNS giants time and time again.

The Fijians had taken out the first match 10-0, having scored early on in both halves. These results set the scene for a ‘series’ decider on Saturday, but in the end, these teams could not be split on the scoreboard in a dramatic 19-all draw.

Australia struck first with a well-worked finish out wide, but Fiji replied with two tries of their own inside the final three minutes of the half, going into the huddle up 12-5.

Fiji were given a golden opportunity to score early in the second half, with a penalty inside Australia’s 22. But a quick tap gone wrong led to a knock-on, and the Aussies quickly made their way downfield.

Longbottom helped the Aussies take control with a runaway effort late in the piece, as the hosts took a 19-12 lead. Fiji trailed by seven but they made the most of a final chance to score, levelling the contest inside the final minute.