After USA had ended Australia’s long pool-phase winning run, the two sides will face one another in the last four.
The early day-two loss to USA was doubly painful for Australia as they saw try-machine Maddison Levi limped off. Australia Sevens later confirmed that she will miss the rest of the HSBC SVNS World Championship weekend.
“She got a side knee injury in the USA game, just a minor one so she’ll do everything she can to be at her best,” Australia co-captain Bella Nasser said. “Mads is an incredible athlete, incredible human, so she’s still very much in and around the girls and still playing her role.”
Canada and USA will meet in the other semi-final.
Quarter-finals: USA live Spanish dream with perfect run on day two
After a slow start on Friday, USA’s Valladolid tournament has turned into something of a dream. They booked a place in the last four with an utterly convincing six-try 40-12 win over Fiji in the last eight.
They had earlier claimed top spot in Pool B in dramatic fashion, ending Australia’s long-standing 32-match winning run in HSBC SVNS pool play. Kaylen Thomas and Sariah Ibarra were the try-scoring heroes for USA in a thrilling 14-10 victory.
Maddi Levi – of course – scored for an unusually error-strewn Australia, her seventh in Spain, but later left the pitch with the injury that will keep her out for the rest of the weekend.
“[It] feels pretty good,” USA captain Kristi Kirshe told RugbyPass TV moments after their seismic victory. “We had our work cut out … but we’ve been training for this moment for the last four weeks and basically all season.
“Really proud of that result, really proud of how the girls committed to each other and had good intensity at the right moment.”
Earlier, Reapi Ulunisau scored her 100th international sevens try – the first Fijian woman sevens’ star to reach the mark – with a highlight-reel, mazy long-distance scorcher to guide the Pacific Islanders to a the vital 17-12 pool B win that ensured a last-eight berth.
Spain’s great Valladolid adventure ended in a 33-7 defeat to all-conquering New Zealand at the quarter-final stage.
Jorja Miller got two of the Black Ferns Sevens tries to take her season total past 50, after Katelyn Vahaakolo had got the scoreboard moving to set up a semi-final meeting against traditional final opponents Australia.
Earlier, having seen Australia toppled in Pool B, New Zealand made sure of qualifying for the quarter-finals at the top of Pool A with a dominant 47-14 win over Japan – who had finished day one in Valladolid unbeaten. Manaia Nuku scored two in quick succession as the Black Ferns Sevens pulled away in the second half.
Spain, meanwhile, had reached the last eight with a clinical 26-0 win over Great Britain in their final Pool C match – featuring tries from Olivia Fresneda, Denisse Gortazar, Maria Calvo and Carmen Miranda Miralles.
Faith Nathan’s scored twice as Australia brushed off the injury absence of try-machine Levi and the disappointment of their surprise pool phase defeat to USA with a scrappy 21-5 win over France in the opening quarter-final.
Canada booked their place in the last four with a convincing six-try 40-5 win over Japan in the last eight.
They had earlier claimed top spot in Pool C with a 24-7 over a subdued France. Olivia Apps scored two, while Charity Williams and Savannah Bauder also got in on the scoring act.
Play-offs: Late joy for South Africa and Brazil
In the play-offs for the minor places, South Africa beat Argentina 19-17 in the ninth-place semi-final. The South Americans were without Antonella Reding, who was handed a red card in the 14-5 loss to Brazil in the pool phase.
South Africa will meet Brazil after a late try Camilla Carvalho handed them a gutsy 19-17 win over Great Britain.