SHE has enjoyed the sort of season to make other rugby sevens players jealous, but Bathurst star Jakiya Whitfeld still has some unfinished business to take care of in 2018.
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The MacKillop student is fired up to make sure she wins a World Schools Sevens gold medal in Auckland this Saturday after being denied victory in controversial circumstances 12 months ago.
Last year as Whitfeld made her Australian Schools debut at the tournament, her side led New Zealand by four points with only seconds remaining in the decider.
The Australians kicked for touch and found it, but it was not game over. A player in green and gold was ruled to have pushed a Kiwi counterpart off the ball.
The hosts promptly recycled four times and scored to steal a 20-19 victory.
READ MORE: Whitfeld snags Oceania gold medal
READ MORE: Whitfeld named WRAS athlete of the year
Since then Whitfeld has been named the player of the series in the domestic AON 7s competition, won an Oceania Sevens title with the senior Australian side, and claimed the Western Region Academy of Sport athlete of the year crown.
But she has a burning desire to add a World School Sevens title to that list.
“After what happened last year, yeah, I really want to beat New Zealand,” she said.
Whitfeld is part of the 13-player Australian squad which will begin its bid for success at Pakuranga United Rugby Club on Friday.
Australia will play pool games against Japan, Cook Islands and New Zealand Dutch, and should it top that group as expected, will go on to Saturday’s decider. The second pool consists of New Zealand, Tonga and Samoa.
