Australia ends home drought with thrilling win over NZ in Perth Sevens

In the Perth Sevens rugby final, the Australian women's rugby team narrowly defeated their strong rivals, New Zealand, 28-26, ending a seven-year drought of home tournament titles. Rising star Heidi Dennis delivered an outstanding performance, becoming a key figure in the team's victory.

The Australian women's team's victory over New Zealand in the final made up for the disappointment of the men's team, who suffered a heavy 5-41 defeat to Argentina in the final at HBF Park. Despite missing the reigning World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year, Maddison Levi (fractured finger), and speedster Faith Nathan (failed concussion assessment), the Australian team still performed exceptionally well.

The 19-year-old Dennis stepped up, scoring two tries and earning the Player of the Final award. In the semi-finals, Australia defeated Canada 24-17, while New Zealand defeated France 36-7. The victory in Perth narrowed the gap between Australia and the leading New Zealand team on the leaderboard to two points.

The final started dramatically, with New Zealand's Michaela Blyde breaking through two attempted tackles to score a try within the first 30 seconds. Dennis then scored for Australia to level the scores, followed by Tia Hinds who faked her way through the defense from midfield to give the home side the lead. New Zealand then scored through Kelsie Teneti, leaving the score tied at 14-14 at halftime.

Less than 90 seconds into the second half, Australian star Charlotte Caslick broke through the defense to score an 80-meter try. Blyde scored again with another long-distance try, but then Teagan Levi broke through the defense to assist Dennis for her second try. In the final moments, Risaleaana Pouri-Lane scored for New Zealand, but a missed conversion allowed Australia to ultimately win the game by two points.

The Australian men's team also suffered from injuries, with Henry Hutchison, Hayden Sargeant, and James Turner all withdrawing due to injuries after a 17-12 overtime victory over Canada in the semi-finals. Argentina, on the other hand, defeated Australia 41-5 in the final, avenging their 31-5 loss to Australia last year.