Charlotte Caslick has made rugby history in Hong Kong by becoming the first Australian women to score 150 tries in World Series sevens tournaments.
The world sevens player of the year was in irresistible form on Saturday as she piloted the World Cup winners into the semi-finals of the inaugural women's event at the sport's marquee tournament at the Hong Kong Stadium.
But the Australian men's hopes of successfully defending their Hong Kong crown were sunk as they failed to even make the quarter-finals.
Caslick, who'd scored three tries in Friday's opening two matches, carried on where she left off, scooting over for a double in the 35-5 hammering of Fiji in the Aussies' final group match.
The first of the two tries was her 150th, as she became the first Australian, and only the fifth woman player in World Series history, to reach the landmark.
Caslick, who had become Australia's all-time leading women's scorer with her 142nd try during the Sydney Sevens, has since continued to go from strength to strength and took her current tally to 153 after another masterful double in the 24-5 defeat of Ireland in the quarter-finals.
Australia had struggled to defeat the game Irish side in their group match on Friday but were wholly dominant in their last-eight clash, as Caslick's brilliant link-up play and decisive finishing allied to another try from Faith Nathan put the Series champions 19-0 up at halftime.
Another try from Madison Ashby after the break sealed the win, setting up a semi-final clash on Sunday against Great Britain, with the dominant New Zealand outfit favourites in the other last-four tie with Fiji.
Meanwhile, John Manenti's Australian men's team were disappointed that their defence of the crown should end so tamely at the group stages with a heavy 24-5 defeat to a Perry Baker-inspired US team.
Speedster Baker scored twice as the Americans answered Dietrich Roache's early try for Australia with four of their own.
Though the Aussies had earlier squeezed past Spain 12-7 with tries from Henry Paterson and Nathan Lawson, it was not enough to prevent the Spanish eventually pipping them to the second qualifying spot from their group courtesy of a superior points difference.
"That was very disappointing, not the sort of performance you want to put out," Australia skipper Nick Malouf said.
"It's not what we came here to do, so devastated.
"But we weren't just good enough. We'll have to go and watch the game back and make sure we're better next time."
