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Australian women unbeaten at rugby sevens

Ahead of the quarter-finals, the Australian women's team have completed a clean sweep of their pool at rugby's Sydney Sevens after a 26-17 win over Fiji.

Chloe Dalton of Australia makes a break to score a try
The Australian women's team have completed a clean sweep of their pool at rugby's Sydney Sevens. (AAP)

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Source: AAP


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Australian coach Tim Walsh is confident his team have the maturity to progress through their Sydney Sevens rugby quarter-final on a training pitch outside Allianz Stadium, before returning to a sold-out cauldron for the tournament's concluding stages.

The Rio Olympic gold medallists escaped without injuries on Friday from their three Pool B clashes, securing a clean sweep with a scratchy 24-7 win over Brazil, an emphatic 29-0 thrashing of Ireland and a 26-17 come-from-behind defeat of Fiji.

They will need to topple Fiji again in the quarters, with Fijiana scraping in as the best-placed third finisher from the group phase.

The quarter-finals will be staged at Kippax, while the men's competition kicks off on Saturday morning on the main ground. Semi-finals and the final will be played later at Allianz Stadium.

"We pride ourselves on adapting to any situation - that's one of our mantras within the team," Walsh said.

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"We're fully aware we're out the back there, so we're prepared for it. I think, if we get our mental preparation right, things will go our way.

"We've just got to really focus on it minute by minute and, hopefully, we can walk away from it without any regret."

Co-captain Shannon Parry said the team had performed training sessions at Kippax around the times the quarter-finals would be staged and were "definitely prepared for the surroundings".

"It's a different format in terms of how close the spectators are to the field, the artificial grandstand etcetera," Parry said.

"It'll be just like backyard footy, just like playing down at Narrabeen out there tomorrow. The crowd will be right there on the sideline, so we're really looking forward to it."

All of Australia's 12 players gained field time. Powerhouse finishers Ellia Green and Emilee Cherry scored three tries each, while Mahalia Murphy, Evania Pelite and Tiana Penitani were standouts.

New Zealand, top of Pool A, play France in the first quarter-final. Ireland take on the USA before Australia and Fiji clash. Russia, the winners of Pool C and perhaps the best-performed side on day one, play Canada.


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