NZ clinch sevens thriller
New Zealand outgunned England 29-14 in the Wellington Sevens tournament earlier this evening – but there was a strong Fiji connection in the finalists’ teams.
Fijian-born British Army solider Isoa Damu put England ahead 7-0 in the second minute with a try but New Zealand piled on the pressure, mainly through tight defence, to score five straight tries and clinch a comfortable win.
For New Zealand, Fiji-born Tomasi Cama scored a try and set up two others as the victory took New Zealand level with England on 64 points after three of eight rounds of the World Series. The next round of the Series is at Las Vegas on Feb. 12 and 13.
Cama is son of Fiji sevens legend Tomasi Cama Snr who is still rememrede for his unique flair and skills on the field in the sevens code, especially in Hong Kong.
New Zealand earlier beat Wales 26-5 in the quarterfinals and Australia 17-0 in the semis.
England, in contrast, was hard-pressed in almost all of its matches at the two-day, 16-team tournament.
It needed a last minute try to beat the unranked Cook Islands in pool play and labored to a 14-7 win over Argentina in the quarterfinals and a 7-5 win over world champions Samoa in the semis.
Samoa had earlier ousted defending Wellington Sevens champions Fiji 12-5 in the quarterfinals.
England was seen to have more pace than New Zealand in the showdown between the top two teams in the World Series but New Zealand's defence quickly shut down the English speedsters and its robust style allowed it to dominate possession.
Damu scored a try from a tapped penalty in the second minute, exploiting the only lapse in concentration from the home side's defence. New Zealand quickly recovered and established its dominance, scoring tries through Toby Arnold and O'Donnell to lead 12-7 by halftime.
Veteran Tomasi Cama scored and converted his own try in the first minute of the second half to extend New Zealand's lead to 19-7, then O'Donnell scored back-to-back tries to make its advantage unassailable at 29-7.
Fiji won the plate competition, beating South Africa 26-12 in the final and Kenya won the bowl, beating Tonga 19-0.
Final: New Zealand 29 (Declan O'Donnell 3, Toby Arnold, Tomasi Cama tries; Cama 2 con) England 14 (Isoa Damu, Simon Hunt tries; Ben Gollings 2 con) Halftime: 12-7.
Semi-final: Australia 0 New Zealand 17 (Declan O'Donnell 2, Tim Mikkelson tries; Buxton Popoalii con) Halftime 10-0. England 7 Samoa 5.
Quarter-final: England 14 Australia 7, Fiji 5 Samoa 12, Australia 14 South Africa 7, New Zealand 26 (Declan O'Donnell 2, Tim Mikkelson, Buxton Popoalii tries; Tomasi Cama 2 con, Popoalii con) Wales 5 (Gareth Davies try) Halftime 14-5.
Plate:
Final: Fiji 26 South Africa 12.
Semi-final: South Africa 22 Wales 5, Argentina 0 Fiji 28.
Bowl:
Final: Kenya 19 Tonga 0.
Semi-final: Tonga 12 Cook Islands 7, Scotland 12 Kenya 15.
Quarter-final: United States 7 Scotland 24, Canada 14 Kenya 19, Tonga 21 France 19, Papua New Guinea 10 Cook Islands 22.
Shield:
Final: United States 19 France 12:
Semi-final: United States 31 Canada 7, France 52 Papua New Guinea 12.
New Zealand outgunned England 29-14 in the Wellington Sevens tournament earlier this evening – but there was a strong Fiji connection in the finalists’ teams. Fijian-born British Army solider Isoa Damu put England ahead 7-0 in the second minute with a try but New Zealand piled on the pressure,...
New Zealand outgunned England 29-14 in the Wellington Sevens tournament earlier this evening – but there was a strong Fiji connection in the finalists’ teams.
Fijian-born British Army solider Isoa Damu put England ahead 7-0 in the second minute with a try but New Zealand piled on the pressure, mainly through tight defence, to score five straight tries and clinch a comfortable win.
For New Zealand, Fiji-born Tomasi Cama scored a try and set up two others as the victory took New Zealand level with England on 64 points after three of eight rounds of the World Series. The next round of the Series is at Las Vegas on Feb. 12 and 13.
Cama is son of Fiji sevens legend Tomasi Cama Snr who is still rememrede for his unique flair and skills on the field in the sevens code, especially in Hong Kong.
New Zealand earlier beat Wales 26-5 in the quarterfinals and Australia 17-0 in the semis.
England, in contrast, was hard-pressed in almost all of its matches at the two-day, 16-team tournament.
It needed a last minute try to beat the unranked Cook Islands in pool play and labored to a 14-7 win over Argentina in the quarterfinals and a 7-5 win over world champions Samoa in the semis.
Samoa had earlier ousted defending Wellington Sevens champions Fiji 12-5 in the quarterfinals.
England was seen to have more pace than New Zealand in the showdown between the top two teams in the World Series but New Zealand's defence quickly shut down the English speedsters and its robust style allowed it to dominate possession.
Damu scored a try from a tapped penalty in the second minute, exploiting the only lapse in concentration from the home side's defence. New Zealand quickly recovered and established its dominance, scoring tries through Toby Arnold and O'Donnell to lead 12-7 by halftime.
Veteran Tomasi Cama scored and converted his own try in the first minute of the second half to extend New Zealand's lead to 19-7, then O'Donnell scored back-to-back tries to make its advantage unassailable at 29-7.
Fiji won the plate competition, beating South Africa 26-12 in the final and Kenya won the bowl, beating Tonga 19-0.
Final: New Zealand 29 (Declan O'Donnell 3, Toby Arnold, Tomasi Cama tries; Cama 2 con) England 14 (Isoa Damu, Simon Hunt tries; Ben Gollings 2 con) Halftime: 12-7.
Semi-final: Australia 0 New Zealand 17 (Declan O'Donnell 2, Tim Mikkelson tries; Buxton Popoalii con) Halftime 10-0. England 7 Samoa 5.
Quarter-final: England 14 Australia 7, Fiji 5 Samoa 12, Australia 14 South Africa 7, New Zealand 26 (Declan O'Donnell 2, Tim Mikkelson, Buxton Popoalii tries; Tomasi Cama 2 con, Popoalii con) Wales 5 (Gareth Davies try) Halftime 14-5.
Plate:
Final: Fiji 26 South Africa 12.
Semi-final: South Africa 22 Wales 5, Argentina 0 Fiji 28.
Bowl:
Final: Kenya 19 Tonga 0.
Semi-final: Tonga 12 Cook Islands 7, Scotland 12 Kenya 15.
Quarter-final: United States 7 Scotland 24, Canada 14 Kenya 19, Tonga 21 France 19, Papua New Guinea 10 Cook Islands 22.
Shield:
Final: United States 19 France 12:
Semi-final: United States 31 Canada 7, France 52 Papua New Guinea 12.
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