Captain James Stannard achieved a big milestone as Australia qualified for the quarter-finals of the world rugby sevens series finale in London.
Sitting sixth on the series standings, the young Australian outfit are aiming to finish the season on a bright note after a mixed post-Olympics campaign.
They avenged a defeat by Samoa in the last round in Paris with a 34-5 win before losing 19-12 to England in their second pool match.
However a 50-0 thrashing of Spain ensured they reached the quarter-finals where they will face fifth-placed USA.
Veteran playmaker Stannard, 34, took his career tally of points in the world series past 1000 in the win over Samoa and later earned rich praise from coach Andy Friend.
"He's a special player but what I like even more is that what I when went up to him to congratulate him, he said 'I'd give it all up for a Cup win this weekend," said Friend.
"He's all about the team, it's not about him at all and he's an inspiration for these young lads."
Friend was rightly wary of the powerful US team which has speed to burn on the flanks.
"When USA have the football, they are very dangerous. Our job tomorrow is to get hold of the footy and not give it to them," he said.
"We did that in Hong Kong when we last beat them but it was a different story when we played them in Singapore and they put about 40 points on us."
In the other quarter-finals, second-placed England play runaway world series leaders South Africa, fourth-placed New Zealand meet seventh-placed Scotland and ninth-placed Argentina play eight-placed Canada.
Share
