Total Ag Solutions Rugby Teams Turn Up the Heat at Darwin’s Hottest Sevens Event
The Total Ag Solutions Rugby Teams made a fiery debut at the Darwin Hottest Sevens tournament over the weekend, with temperatures scorching in the high-thirties, adding to the intensity of the competition.
The Women’s team put on a valiant display of grit and determination, battling through injuries to secure their place in the grand final. In a dramatic lead-up, they faced home hero’s Palmerston Crocs three times during the tournament, with each team taking a win before their decisive semi-final clash. The SSA Women emerged victorious over the home side, setting the stage for a tough grand final against a strong Sydney Fijian side. Fiji came out firing, scoring all their points in the first half, but the SSA Women showcased incredible defensive resilience in the second half, keeping Fiji scoreless. Despite their effort, the team went down 7-19, with Zoe Carter crossing the line for the SSA’s sole try, converted by Jordyn McFadden.
The Men’s team, on the other hand, took the tournament by storm and were crowned overall winners. In a thrilling grand final against the hometown Palmerston Crocs, they leapt to an early 10-0 lead, thanks to quick-fire tries from Thomas Johnstone and Elijah Williams. Although neither was converted, the Crocs responded with two tries of their own, converting one to leave the match at a tense 12-10. But in the dying moments, Xavier Williams-Byers burst through the Crocs’ defence at halfway to deliver a spectacular 60 solo try, sealing the 17-12 victory with a conversion and cracking Crocs’ hearts.
Standout performers across the tournament included Bailey Purcell and Xavier Williams-Byers, both top try-scorers for the Men’s team with five tries each. Xavier was also the top point scorer for the boys, racking up 33 points. On the Women’s side, Jordyn McFadden and Patience Kani led the way with four tries each, while Jordyn topped the point-scoring charts with 24 points, closely followed by Patience with 22.
Total Ag Solutions Rugby extends its heartfelt thanks to the coaches, parents, supporters, and tournament organisers for making this incredible event possible. The teams couldn’t have asked for a better experience in their debut appearance at Darwin’s Hottest Sevens.