Gold made of pearls

Rugby 7s girls GOLD #Rio2016 #oneteam @abcnews pic.twitter.com/yrrRlXzoHB

— Kathryn Ward (@_kathrynward) August 9, 2016

By Tom Corrigan

The Australian women’s team, the Pearls, has won the first rugby sevens Olympic gold medal after defeating arch-rival New Zealand 24-17 in the final.

The win lifted Australia’s gold medal tally to four after day 3 of competition in Rio.

The Pearls came into the Olympic tournament as strong favourites after winning the World Championships in May.

They lived up to their favourites tag, winning every game except for a 12-all draw with the United States. The Pearls also boasted the best defence in the tournament after holding opponents Colombia, Fiji and Spain scoreless.

In the final, the Kiwis took an early lead but Australia responded with 24 unanswered points through tries from Emma Tonegato, Evania Pelite, Ellia Green and Charlotte Caslick.

Many could argue that Australia was lucky during the match with two defining moments favouring the green and gold.

Tonegato scored Australia’s first try however the replay showed the ball bobbled from the 21-year-old’s grasp as she grounded it. And in another pivotal moment just before half-time, Kiwi Portia Woodman was sin-binned for an intentional knock-down.

In Woodman’s absence, the Australians took advantage of the seven-on-six match-up with two tries.

Woodman spoke to NZ Newswire and said her sin bin cost them the game.

“The fact that I did that one knock-on, that one little thing that cost us two tries, it really got to me,” she said. “The feeling of letting my team down, that’s what got me most.”

Australian captain Sharni Williams was still pinching herself after being presented with her gold medal.

“For a dream to actually come true it’s incredible, it’s amazing, it’s history making,” she told Fairfax media. “I’m over the moon.”