New Zealand ended the HSBC Sevens World Series on a high as they added to their series title with a London Sevens victory, demolishing Australia 47-12 in the final. It was their second Cup title of the season, and 11th World Series title in 14 seasons.
The New Zealand side hadn’t won in London since 2007 but on a world record attendance weekend (71 898 fans at Twickenham on Saturday), the men in black finished in style.
They reached the final after a tight encounter with Kenya, winning just 7-0, but had beaten Argentina 52-7 in the quarter final, so knew they had it in them going into the Australia game.
South Africa claimed second spot on the final standings despite having a relatively poor tournament by their standards, failing to get past the quarter final stage. Hosts England finished third, but ended the series in sixth place on the table.
New Zealand only won two of the nine tournaments in the series, but were by far the most consistent, reaching the Cup quarter finals on every leg.
“We work really hard and you get a lot when you work hard,” said coach Gordon Tietjens.
Attention now turns towards the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Moscow at the end of June. “There will be no easy games in the World Cup and we will go there and give it our best shot, that’s what keeps us going,” added Tietjens.
Final Sevens World Series standings: New Zealand 173, South Africa 132, Fiji 121, Samoa 104, Kenya 99, England 92, Wales 91, Australia 89
Below are highlights from Day Two, including the final. Follow the links for Day one and Best Tries
View Seven of the Best Tries » | View Day One Highlights »
Official highlights from Day One of the London Sevens
Seven of the Best Tries at the London Sevens, courtesy of the IRB
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