USA stun Australia as SVNS Valladolid quarter-final matchups set

You could see the emotion on the faces of all USA players and staff after an upset 14-10 win over Australia at SVNS Valladolid. The Australians set up a nail-biting finish with a try late in the piece, but the USA did enough to prevail at Estadio Jose Zorilla.

The USA’s Kaylen Thomas and Sariah Ibarra crossed for a try each, but it was the team’s defence that saw them home. Teagan Levi had made it a one-score game with a late runaway effort, but the USA dug deep in scorching conditions.

Following the SVNS World Championship stop at the Hong Kong Sevens, it’s all to play for in Valladolid and Bordeaux. The USA side set themselves the goal of topping their group in northwestern Spain and have successfully made that dream a reality.

With this result, the USA have claimed wins over the top two teams in women’s sevens during the 2025/26 campaign. The Black Ferns Sevens enjoyed a dominant regular season but were upset by the USA on the opening day of the Dubai Sevens in November.

“Feels pretty good. After yesterday we had our work cut out for us but we’ve been training for this moment for the last four weeks and basically all season,” USA captain Kristi Kirshe said on the broadcast, which you watch on RugbyPass TV HERE.

“Just really proud of that result, really proud of how the girls committed to each other and had good intensity at the right moment.”

Thomas struck first for the USA in the fourth minute, but try-scoring machine Maddison Levi hit back for the Australians soon after. Levi is now just 19 tries shy of equalling the all-time SVNS Series record, currently held by New Zealand’s Michaela Brake.

But the missed conversion from Tia Hinds saw the Aussies trail by two at the break. Ibarra was next to touch down for five points before Teagan Levi made it a one-score game with less than three minutes left.

The USA kicked the ball out of their own half with about 30 seconds left, seeing Alex ‘Spiff’ Sedrick locked in a race with Australia’s Demi Kennewell. But with the ball rolling into touch, both teams set up for a lineout with time almost up.

Heidi Dennis knocked the ball on, with Tia Hinds throwing a long overthrow over the top of the set-piece. USA players let out a cheer, packed down for the scrum, and then kicked the ball into the stands – giving them a reason to celebrate even more.

“With the leadership that we have in our staff and our beautiful captain who inspires us every day, this is what we wanted to happen,” Sammy Sullivan added.

“We said we’re going to top the pool this training block and we did it, despite losing on the first day.”

With the women’s pool stage in the books, the focus turns to the quarter-finals. Australia will have a chance to bounce back when they face France in the first knockout match, set to kick off at 2:49 pm local time at the Estadio Jose Zorrilla.

France were beaten by Canada 7-24 just after midday, which determined the top-ranked side out of Pool C. The Canadians will face Japan in the third-quarter-final, with the winner set to take on either the USA or Fiji in the final four.

The Black Ferns Sevens are currently the World Championship leaders, but they face a tough road to potentially their eighth Cup Final of the season. New Zealand face hosts Spain the quarters, with the winner set to take on either France or the Australians.

SVNS Valladolid Women’s quarter-finals

Australia vs France at 2:49 pm (local time)

New Zealand vs Spain at 3:11 pm

Canada vs Japan at 3:33 pm

USA vs Fiji at 3:55 pm