After challenging herself at the Darwin Rugby Sevens, CSU student Darcie Morrison went up against some of the best at the Okinawa Rugby Sevens with the Australian Development team.
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The event, held on the Japanese island of Okinawa, saw six nations participate in the invitational tournament from February 18 to 19.
Australia, Japan A and B, France, Netherlands and the United States all competed, with the United States defeating Australia in the final.
Morrison, who has previously trained with the Australian first team squad, said the opportunity was great.
“It was a good experience because it was the hardest competition I’ve played in,” she said.
“Before this, I’ve played local teams. But this was against international teams who train three times a week, or even more.
“It was hard, but a great challenge.”
The Australia side went down by seven points in the final, with Morrison scoring one try during the tournament.
Her long term goal is to break into the Australia sevens team.
“It’s quite a long way off. I’ll need to judge myself, whether I can compete at the highest level,” Morrison said.
“I need to work on the things I do wrong, the one per cent things.
“It’s a hard team to break into because they’re the number one team in the world. The players deserve their spot and ranking because they train hard and I’m envious of the things they can do.”
Morrison was full of praise for her experience training with the Australian national side
“It was fantastic and they’re really welcoming. When you do something wrong they’re very helpful and they give you constructive criticism,” she said.
Morrison, a Forbes native, was thankful for her chance to represent her nation.
“It was amazing [to be selected] and I feel so honoured to go. I’ve improved a lot and I’ve noticed how much I’ve improved since I started.”
She was majorly involved in the annual Darwin rugby sevens event, earlier this year.
Playing alongside Olympic gold medalist Evania Pelite, Morrison featured for the Australian Development team that crushed Iconz Sevens 35-0 in the final.
Morrison was also a part of the Australian Development side that competed at the Central Coast Sevens, which is regarded as Australia’s premier sevens event.
Playing against the likes of New Zealand, Fiji and Japan, her Aussie Pearls Gold side ended up losing to the Pearls Green outfit 40-19 in the deciding match.
