Maddison Levi ruled out of SVNS Valladolid quarter-finals after injury scare

Maddison Levi has been ruled out of the remainder of the HSBC SVNS World Championship in Valladolid, Australia Sevens confirmed ahead of Saturday’s quarter-finals. The 24-year-old will undergo scans, though the nature of the injury has not been disclosed.

The timing is a significant setback for Australia, who were already reeling from a 14-10 defeat to the USA on day two. Levi had been the standout performer of the tournament, scoring back-to-back hat-tricks against South Africa and Fiji on the opening day at the Estadio José Zorilla before adding a seventh try against the USA just before half-time.

That seventh try had moved Levi closer to the all-time SVNS Series record, though Black Ferns Sevens great Michaela Brake remains 19 tries clear at the top. Levi, the 2024 World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year, averages approximately 8.1 tries per tournament.

Despite losing Levi, Australia must now navigate a demanding draw. They face France in the first quarter-final, while regular season champions New Zealand take on host nation Spain. The Black Ferns Sevens won five of the six SVNS 1 events this season as well as the World Championship opener in Hong Kong, and a win for both sides would set up a semi-final between the two teams who have contested every Women’s Cup Final of the season.

Younger sister Teagan Levi offered a brief moment of hope in the USA defeat, scoring to make it a one-score game with two minutes remaining, but the Americans held on. Australia will now need to find a way through the knockout rounds without their most potent attacking weapon.