Australia's youngsters fought hard at the Hong Kong Sevens but were outclassed on Sunday to end an underwhelming tournament.
Australia started the day strongly with a 17-14 win over England, but were knocked out in the second-tier Challenge Trophy semi-finals when they lost 24-12 to France.
With their top squad preparing for next week's Commonwealth Games rugby sevens on the Gold Coast, Australia fielded eight debutants at the iconic event on the world series calendar.
After finishing last in their pool following losses to Spain and Canada and a win over Kenya, Australia were relegated to the Challenge Trophy.
Sam Figg provided the highlight for the Aussies on Sunday when his try after the fulltime siren sealed the late victory over England.
Against the French, debutant James Armstrong scored a powerful 80-metre try and Dylan Pietsch also produced a strong charge to the tryline.
Fiji later won a fourth successive Hong Kong title after pouncing on Kenya's ill-discipline and errors to win the final 24-12.
South Africa finished third after beating New Zealand 29-7 but their lead in the world series standings was cut to three over Fiji.
All four Hong Kong semi-finalists will feature on the Gold Coast, with Olympic champions Fiji favoured to win their first Commonwealth Games gold medal.
