Australia’s sevens ‘Empress’ who helped change women’s sport forever

Australia’s Charlotte Caslick is universally regarded as one of the greatest female athletes in rugby sevens history. As a trailblazing Olympic medallist from Rio who has also won it all on the HBSC SVNS Series, Caslick is more than deserving of her place as the sport’s “Empress.”

When the new SVNS Series season got underway in Dubai at the end of last month, a new era got underway for defending champions Australia. Australia Sevens had announced only a couple of days prior that Caslick had stepped down as captain of the women’s team.

Isabella Nasser, who had grown up idolising Caslick and the other pioneers of women’s sevens from the 2016 Rio Games, was unveiled as the team’s new captain. Caslick and Nasser had both Brisbane State High just years apart, making this a dream-like appointment.

Nasser spoke on RugbyPass TV’s HSBC Life on Tour in Cape Town about the privilege and honour of taking on that role. The Queenslander had previously opened up to this writer in March 2023 about how Australia’s triumph at the Rio Games was such a “huge turning point.”

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Caslick in particular was a hero for many, and that includes Australia’s newest captain. “She’s a role model to so many people,” Nasser told RugbyPass at Rugby Australia last year, and that impact is still being felt within the team as coach Tim Walsh explained last weekend.

“Last year we had a leadership system where it was around royalty and Charlotte was the Empress,” Walsh said on RugbyPass TV’s HSBC SVNS Series Embedded Episode 4.

“This year, as you know, she stepped down as captain and she’s taken on a very different role; a mentoring role so she can concentrate on her role but also offer such valuable pieces of wisdom to younger players, but let them flourish and learn as well, which is part of our development and pathway for the future.

“We’re very fortunate to have Charlotte here.

“… I think Charlotte changed the perceptions of rugby in the world. There were moments in Rio… there was a particular moment there where the whole world saw a shift and then it was a kneejerk reaction from all around the world around women’s contact sport.”

Australia started life under new captain Nasser with title glory at Dubai’s The Sevens Stadium. The Aussies came up against arch-rivals New Zealand in the Women’s Cup Final, but they secured their fifth consecutive triumph at the event 28-24.

Try-scoring phenomenon Maddison Levi intercepted a Jazmin Felix-Hotham pass with about two minutes left to play and that ended up being the deciding say on the scoreboard. Nasser lifted the Dubai Sevens trophy after the Final, with Caslick taking a backseat amongst the team.

The SVNS Series continued the following weekend at Cape Town’s DHL Stadium, with a new competition format sending the team top from each of the four pools directly through to the Semi-Finals of the competition.

Australia booked their place in the final four with two strong wins in pool play, but their pursuit of another title came to an abrupt end when they went down 24-19 to the USA. Nia Toliver completed a double in the 14^th minute to send the Americans to the big dance.

As seen on HSBC SVNS Series Embedded, the players were disappointed as they walked down the tunnel at the Western Cape venue. But Caslick still stopped to speak about life within a young Australian side, with others like Sharni Smale and Dominique du Toit now retired.

“There were a few girls in the middle that recently retired and now I feel even older. They come out with things they say that I’ve never heard of,” Caslick explained with a smile.

“It’s just awesome to see that when we won in 2016, it made these girls that are playing now pick up a rugby ball and get to have these experiences and opportunities.

“I’m very competitive,” she added. “Sometimes maybe too competitive. I get really frustrated at times but I’ve got two older brothers and I think that’s where it comes from.

“I would love to get to the LA Olympics. I’ll be 33 but I would love to play that, but I think part of me handing over the captaincy to Bella was so this group of girls really had stability and has a leader that will carry them through.

“As much as I hope I do get there, I have other things I do want to do as well, and put my family, my friends and some other things in my life before rugby a little.”