The winner of the Wellington Sevens is New Zealand.
A worthy champion side, this is the third victory in a row for Sir Gordon Tietjens men. A terrific feat, and even though it was a close run thing, the end result has brought the ‘NZ Rugby ship’ back towards it’s course. Good for the squad, good for the nations ambitions at Olympic level, and ultimately good for the HSBC Sevens Series.
CUP FINAL: New Zealand 24 South Africa 21 – Ten minutes either half gives sides additional ‘squeezing space’ to affect a comeback, and out of all the late victories–think England over France in match one, the NZ effort was both miraculous and so, so very fortunate. But fortune favours the brave.
For the majority, South Africa played to a higher standard. In scoring a pair to open the game with, they had the kiwi team in shock. Plenty of invention benefited them certainly, but the forwards were better at the close-in work. Sharp reactions help, having vision like Rosco Specman had the Blitzbok soon leading 14-0 until the might of Akira Ioane made a break on the outside.
At 120 kilograms, a man that size should not move with that speed, but he does. It was a game saver and within a minute, Ioane was then chasing down the speedster Sebola Senatla. His powerful covering dive was only just enough but it saved his brothers from going to the break 19-7 and he deservedly was awarded ‘Player of the Final’. While the try was denied, there was no denying who were in ascendance at this point and Neil Powell was very cool when the coaches called for a huddle.
They believed that patience would reward the visitors, while the hosts became more concerned with scrambling. Not the best attitude, and one where even seasoned Super Rugby/Test Match players like Sonny Bill Williams had moments. He ranged wide during the game, and again outside his own 22 he looked to link up with Kurt Baker but the no-look pass fell ideally for South Africa to cross. The second time it has gone against his side, to prove he is human after all.
Sonny Bill was subbed and Ardie Savea injected, the smart decision over the popular. They were rushing and needed to be exact, and slowly working there way back into the match by winning the breakdown first. Even scrums that previously were lost, stuck. Francois Hougaard implored his men to keep control. Karl Te Nana on the sideline called it right. “Seven and a half minutes, that’s an age in the game of Sevens” and more subs brought in the speed of Reiko Ioane, and his power and awareness meant his side soon picked up a couple of tries that really helped them see a glimpse of hope.
A yellow card against the Blitzbok allowed for improved territorial play but finally a superb effort on defence proved the winning of the match. Substitute Reagen Ware managed in one huge tackle to spill the ball in his teams favour, they then made it all the way downfield and he was there again to help spread the ball for the hard working NZ half Joe Webber to pick up the winning try. At the death, right on the buzzer, it was fairytale stuff.
As Tietjens told reporters in the post-match interviews “It almost got away from us”. And for an accomplished leader and analyst of the game, he would get more confidence from the perseverance of his players then in any single moment. Heart, character and desire will get players through in the end. With a bit of luck thrown in too, good interpretation and that old chestnut ‘the bounce of the ball’.
Well done the All Black Sevens.
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The day had started with the minor placings being fought over, and in those early clashes the Japanese side ripped the carpet from under the French teams feet. Winning the match by chasing them down with a superb second half performance, it was delightful and energetic rugby. Well played Brave Blossums, with luck you will gain that big victory soon.
Samoa worked hard to use the positives of their win against England last night and, while it was close, held off Wales in scoring some very nice tries. Wales are close, but like in the XV game, never take their chances. Canada dispatched Russia, who really need to recover a few victories soon or they will be the ‘whipping boys’ in this series.
BOWL QUARTER FINALS: Scotland 29 Portugal 12 | France 14 Japan 19 | Canada 35 Russia 12 | Wales 24 Samoa 29
The action now heated up and gladly, New Zealand were in a position to dominate. The trips and stumbles of legs one and two were put aside in a commanding match. Six tries put an explanation mark on the reigning Wellington champions status. They were more ruthless, aggressive and passionate. Tim Mikkelson should be commended for his leadership, and his two try haul as well. 9/10
Following that, an impressive England soon reiterated their credentials when beating Argentina, who really don’t look happy when in Black. Los Pumas will never harness their fans love or the same results we saw in 2015 if they are forced to wear All Black. A good win for England, Bobby Mitchell showing class that see’s him and Dan Bibby as potential ‘party poopers’ when they face NZ in the semi final.
South Africa wanted to amend their loss, so Australia felt the wrath of a more hungry side on Day Two. Even without regular playermakers Cecil Africa and Werner Kok, the Boks were in ‘beast mode’ and the best of them was Seabelo ‘Seeyalater’ Senatla. With finesse and hard running, he along with Andre Snyman marched their side into the semifinal. A final minute try for Australia made it respectable, but like Jovilisi Waqa said last night “if only they could be consistent and put games together” but they were on the back-foot early on, never heading the imperious South Africans.
Final qualifying game, and this time a committed United States team scored first in the opening half. The first time Fiji had been behind in any match, it was fabulous to see the Eagles show some steel to their game but on the hooter a converted try saw Fiji go 7-5 at halftime. A real scare but after the restart normal service was restored. Motivated from the fans shouting encouragement, bit by bit, try by try, the ruthless Pacific side scored three more times and sent the US team to a Plate semi final, instead of the Cup.
CUP QUARTER FINALS: New Zealand 36 Kenya 0 | England 33 Argentina 7 | Australia 14 South Africa 26 | Fiji 21 United States 12
With the major semi finalists known, entertainment was provided for the assembled crowd. I had suggested that if the crowds did not respond, this leg could be threatened and with similar articles and news features across local media, we are unable to gloss over the subject. Sad but true, organizers had little choice but to take care of the smaller numbers who had arrived and by the end of the night, everyone at Westpac Stadium had enjoyed themselves.
The weather was at least playing its part, with a breeze keeping temperatures moderate, and with the Bowl and Shield finalists determined, the main semi final games prepared fans for some quality matches to come.
CUP SEMI FINAL 1: New Zealand 25 England 5 – After an amazing first half, would you believe me if I said the score was 15-0 after seven minutes? It was as if the NZ side had not taken their foot off of the accelerator after putting 36 points over Kenya. A timid England team just needed to do the fundamentals right, but they might have double-teamed players who they believed to be a risk; August Pulu for one, only for another kiwi player to use that space to their advantage.
Coach Teitjens has the joy of selection after several training camps. His men were again a top-shelf unit and they went about their work effectively, holding their defensive lines, using their heads and only on occasion becoming isolated. Ben Lam had a great match, shunting players in white to the side with glee and forwards and backs interchanged superbly. On the other side Alexander Davis and Tom Bowen had quiet games–a semi final is not the time to go into your shell. 15 missed tackles will disappoint the promising UK team, but they will surely bounce back.
SEMI FINAL 2: South Africa 31 Fiji 0 – The coaching rivalry here is at the pinnacle of Rugby Sevens. Neil Powell and Ben Ryan have crossed each others paths on in-numerous times. Today their charges would aim to reach goals planned for well before Dubai, and while the Fijian side seems to have been one of the very best prepared units, Powell is no slouch.
As much as Fiji impressed on Day One, for one match they were bettered thoroughly. From the first half until the final whistle, it was a composed Blitzbok that grew more and more confident, while their opponents were ruffled, off colour and out of sync. It wasn’t pretty to watch and very disarming when the best side drops away by so much, but the Africans are all singing from the same songsheet. Classic quotes, for an above standard side.
So the two most accomplished teams in this tournament face off in the Cup final that many had predicted (see top of page) The losing sides England and Fiji would now play-off for third place and while that has little taste, compared to the first place champagne, in this series total points accumulated will count later when teams go for the title in May.
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MINOR PLACING RESULTS
BRONZE PLACE FINAL: England 12 Fiji 24
PLATE FINAL: Argentina 5 Australia 21
BOWL FINAL: Samoa 19 Scotland 7
SHIELD FINAL: France 14 Russia 7
World Rugby HSBC Sevens Series leader board: South Africa 54 points, Fiji 52, NZL 47, England 41, Argentina 41, United States 39, Australia 35. Kenya 30, France 28, Scotland 22, Samoa 21, Canada 13, Wales 11, Japan 7, Russia 5, Portugal 3.
Next weekend, the series heads to Sydney and with only 19 pts between first and seventh place, the series is very much alive. While the England side are still to claim a round win, they are truly a major threat; as is every team. Results may not have gone Samoa’s way, but they only need some more confidence and good on-field leadership to bring them back into contention. As does the Australian team who are on home soil next week, so the circuit will certainly be well contested in the next stages: Las Vegas 4th-6th March and Vancouver 12th/13th March.
Look forward to more coverage from Last Word On Sports as we cover this exciting Rugby Sevens season, leading up to the Rio Olympics in August.
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