Madison Ashby termed Australia the “queens of the desert” after they completed a hat-trick of Emirates Dubai Sevens titles on Saturday night. They beat their most regular rivals, New Zealand, 26-19 in the final. The fact the two sides made it to the showpiece fixture was no surprise. The last time a side won the Dubai title outside of the Antipodean neighbours was back in 2011, when Canada beat England in the final, and before the Women’s World Sevens Series had even been created. Australia have held the tightest stranglehold on it in the most recent past. They won both titles when the competition was played on back-to-back weekends in 2021, and they made it a third 12 months later. Sharni Williams, Faith Nathan, Maddison Levi, and Demi Hayes scored Australia’s tries, with Michaela Blyde scoring a hat-trick in a losing cause for the Black Ferns. “We play a bit of park footy, but we prepared well for this tournament, and, like our coaches say, we are queens of the desert,” said Ashby, who was player of the match in the final. “We thrive of heat, and this was just a golden win.”
