NSW Waratahs Women’s Sevens Head Coach Blake Cavallaro believes his squad is nicely positioned for the rest of the ISPS Handa NextGen 7s series after Round 1.
Cavallaro was heartened by the overall outcome of Sunday’s first round at Sunshine Coast Stadium in which the NSW Waratahs Women won the first two of three games.
The NSW Waratahs claimed wins over the Queensland Reds (24-10) and then the ACT Brumbies (7-27) but lost their last game when again playing against the Reds (15-19).
“I was super impressed with the commitment, competitiveness, the style of footy that we played,” Cavallaro said.
“Overall, from the stats and a tacking point of view, I thought we were probably the best, best team on the day.”
Asked what the difference was between winning the first two games and not the third, Cavallaro said: “We need to get our restarts right in our foot and our first phases.
“We won those first two games convincingly and rushed some things in the third game.
“That is something we'll look at as a team. We will look at the video, do some mental work, and talk as a core group about how we can be better in those situations.”
Cavallaro believes the team’s focus on “connection’ leading into Round 1 paid dividends.
“We talked about being connected. We also had a big emphasis on calling ourselves ‘hungry Tahs,’ being hungry and everything we do,” Cavallaro said.
“You could see the connectivity in the group with their line speed, their contacts, their attacking abilities. They scored some awesome tries from length of the field. “
While Cavallaro said the entire NSW Waratahs squad stepped up in Round 1, he cited Darci Turinui who scored five tries, Logan Lemusu and captain Tatum Bird as standouts.
“Darci scored some length of the field tries. She was unstoppable on the wing,” Cavallaro said.
“She was in all three games. She's a sixteen-year-old girl playing against women.
“Logan, with her tempo when running, created space for people inside and on the outside. She controlled the game a fair bit.
“Tatum led from the front. She scrambled well, tackled well. She was in everything. “
Cavallaro said the aim for NSW Waratahs Women in Round 2 of the NextGen 7s series will be to better manage the day overall with their mental and physical output.
Round 2 is on 17 August at Forshaw Rugby Park in Sydney when the NSW Waratahs will play the ACT Brumbies in games one and two and then the Queensland Reds.
“Definitely. You have played two games, then when the tiredness comes in your awareness needs to be a lot better,” Cavallaro said.
“It's about adapting to how can we be consistent throughout the day and understanding what the day does to you and look like.
“It’s something we'll talk about as a core group and make sure will are better at.”
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