A factor in Australia’s favour on Monday was that the Black Ferns Sevens were depleted through injury, with Braxton Sorensen-McGee, Jazmin Felix-Hotham and Manaia Nuku unavailable and their bench reduced to three players.
Yet still they emerged victorious, securing a 15th straight win. Their season statistics are startling; in five tournaments, they have won 23 of 25 games, scoring 811 points and conceding 274.
Even by their incredibly high standards, the Black Ferns Sevens are in imperious form. This is a team packed with talent, including regular starters Risi Pouri-Lane, Stacey Waaka, Kelsey Teneti, Mahina Paul and Felix-Hotham.
But the number of big plays Miller made on Monday underlined her importance to the team. The World Rugby Women’s Sevens Player of the Year deservedly picked up her third player of the final award this season.
Miller, who turned 22 last month, scored a try against Australia in the first half — she brought up 100 career tries in this tournament — and set up another in the second half with an 80m run.
Perhaps even more impressive was her defensive work. In a sport where retaining the ball is crucial, she regained possession four times: twice by winning penalties in the tackle, once from the partial chargedown of a kick and once from a New Zealand kickoff.
Miller said the adversity faced by the team during the tournament made the win more meaningful.
“I am so proud of this team, I’m so honoured to wear this black jersey. We’ve had a few girls go down this weekend ... it means a lot more to us than just rugby,” Miller said.
And on International Women’s Day, she remembered who had inspired her.
“When I was younger, I was looking up to the greats, amazing players like Portia [Woodman-Wickliffe] and Sarah Hirini. I hope that, as a team, we can inspire young girls and young boys to play rugby.”
South Africa toppled Spain 38-12 in the men’s final. The All Blacks Sevens failed to reach the semifinal stage after losing to both finalists in pool play before beating Great Britain for seventh.
