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The Australian Steelers have snuck into the semi-finals at Tokyo 2020 on a countback, despite their second loss from three matches on Friday against Japan.
The host nation’s 57-53 victory saw them finish undefeated on top of pool A, leaving France, Denmark and Australia equal on points with one win apiece.
In a stunning example of the competitiveness of this tournament, Australia’s +1 point try-difference saved their campaign. After a shock one-try loss to Denmark (-1 difference) on day one, their gutsy two-try victory 24 hours later over France (0) inevitably pulled them back from the brink of disaster.
Had the Steelers scored two less tries across three games, they would have finished last in their pool.
But with a semi-final berth secured, the Steelers join Japan, the US and Great Britain on a sudden-death journey to the Paralympic gold medal.
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Australian captain Ryley Batt said his team was now ready to enter the knockout phase with a fresh mindset, although he conceded the Steelers’ form “was a bit up and down” in one of the biggest understatements of Tokyo 2020.
“I’m a little bit annoyed that we didn’t fight harder in that game,” Batt said.
“Japan played fantastic. They came out and were a lot more fierce than we were. We weren’t our usual selves.
“We should have been more fierce, but unfortunately we just didn’t come out as hungry as we needed to be. That’s mainly because we were already assured of a semi-final berth and it didn’t really matter who we were playing. That’s probably the wrong mentality but it is what it is and we’ll be hungrier tomorrow.”
Australia now faces the US for a place in the gold medal match.
The two arch-rivals met the 2000 and 2008 finals – both won by the Americans – and the 2016 final in Rio, widely regarded as the greatest wheelchair rugby match of all-time. Australia emerged victorious by one try in double overtime in front of a world record crowd of more than 16,500 fans.
Eight players in the Steelers’ 12-strong squad featured in that match and will be ready to renew hostilities with an American team who still bear the emotional scars from that loss.
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Pleasingly for Australian Head Coach Brad Dubberley, his four Paralympic debutants have also showed encouraging signs in the pool rounds, including Shae Graham, Australia’s first female Paralympian in wheelchair rugby.
Graham, who scored a try in her debut against France, said the hype around the Paralympic Games has lived up to her expectations.
“Honestly the whole thing is just amazing,” Graham said. “We haven’t been able to play in a competition for almost two years now so just to be back on the court feels amazing, but to actually be here at Paralympic Games, it’s been a big goal of mine for a while now. It just feels huge to finally be able to achieve that.
“I honestly was so nervous [against France]. My dad just told me ‘If you get on court, just take a deep breath and appreciate that you’re on there’ so that’s what I did and then I just stuck to the game plan and did my job.”
Graham and her team-mates now need to do their jobs against the Americans.
“I’m pretty sure we’re all thinking exactly the same way, we’re going to go out there and we’re going to give it our all,” she said.
“It’s do or die now so we’re going to put everything on the line, and hopefully get through to the final.”
Watch the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games live and free on Seven and 7plus from August 24 – September 5.
By: Tim Mannion, Paralympics Australia
Posted: 27 August 2021
