A three-try performance from Wallaroos skipper Grace Hamilton helped Australia to secure an inaugural series win on home soil with a 46-3 result over Japan at North Sydney Oval on Friday night.
Hamilton, the Sydney University women’s rugby club flanker, was also named player of the match for the second week in a row, having claimed the honour in the Wallaroos’ 34-5 result in the First Test at Newcastle Sportsground the previous Saturday.
Australia scored seven tries in front of 3391 vocal supporters at Newcastle, with the skipper scoring one of five in the first-half as the hosts went to the break with a 27-3 advantage.
Hamilton backed up a strong first stanza with back-to-back tries in the 66th and 70th minutes as the Wallaroos extended their lead.
Her Sydney University team-mate, flanker Emily Chancellor, turned in another trademark performance before being rested at the 64-minute mark.
Wallaroos coach Dwayne Nestor said the Wallaroos wanted to make a statement and they did. “We wanted them to be ruthless in both attack and defence and they were,” he said.
“Throughout the week we have been working on spacing and all the work we did in training showed in how comfortable the girls were playing.
“We’ll celebrate the success of this series, give the girls some time off before we come back into camp to tidy some things up ahead of our series against New Zealand.”
Sydney University’s other Wallaroo squad member for 2019, lock Sera Naiqama, missed selection for the Tests against Japan, but is in contention for the two Test series against New Zealand – at Optus Stadium, Perth, on Saturday, 10 August, and at Eden Park, Auckland, on Saturday, 17 August – which are preliminaries to Bledisloe Cup matches between the Wallabies and All Blacks.
