In their 50th World Series Cup final the Black Ferns Sevens won their 39th title and seventh in Vancouver. The Black Ferns have won 18 consecutive matches at BC Place.
The Black Ferns Sevens outscored opponents 41 tries to seven in a weekend that saw many upsets. Fijiana made their first cup final, and Japan reached the semi-finals for the first time.
Without the prolific try-scoring Maddison Levi, Australia is less threatening than usual. On the first day, the Aussies were stunned by Brazil 14-12, meaning an unusual semi-final meeting with the Black Ferns Sevens.
Australia beat the Black Ferns Sevens in the Perth final but were no match for a clinical New Zealand side today. Sarah Hirini and Jorja Miller were beasts at the breakdown and Stacey Waaka scored two of her nine tournament tries. Waaka said it was a ''massive'' performance.
"We have been dwelling on it every single moment since we lost in Perth. It was only three or four moments but we managed to counteract that today, and I'm just stoked that the girls pulled through for the big dance," she told World Rugby.
The final was even more one-sided as Fijiana struggled in the first half. Fijiana conceded possession and a yellow card in the first minute and Risi Pouri-Lane caught the defense napping with a quick tap try.
Waaka snaffled the restart, Fijiana struggled to defend the extra space, and Nuku went into a big hole up the middle.
When restored to full complement, Fijiana's performance didn’t improve. Miller ripped the ball in a tackle and lobbed a pass to Pouri-Lane, who set up Waaka.
Miller was rampant. On the brink of halftime, she poached a turnover and sprinted 60m for her 66th SVNS try.
Michaela Brake made a try-saving tackle in the first half. Early in the second, she scored her 10th try of the tournament, with a classic 40m surge where she strode “in and away” from her opponent.
Sesenieli Donu has missed two years of competitive rugby with a serious knee injury. She had a hearty moment for Fijiana with a 40m charge.
Youth applied the Kiwi exclamation mark. In her debut, tournament, Maia Davis scampered 65m before Manaia Nuku collected an errant pass.
Australia beat Japan 26-12 to finish third. After four events the Black Ferns Sevens lead the overall SVNS standings with 76 points, six clear of Australia. France are third with 52 points.
Michaela Brake Record
When Michaela Brake scored five tries in the 58-7 group win against Ireland she passed former teammate Portia Woodman-Wickliffe as the top try-scorer in World Series Sevens Rugby history. After the Vancouver Sevens Brake has 264 tries, seven ahead of Woodman-Wickliffe.
Brake told the World Rugby broadcast after her record-breaking moment.
“Full credit to Portia Woodman. She’s been the top try-scorer for her whole career and she set those standards, she put women’s sevens on the map. To chase her has been an honour and I’m very grateful she was on my team…She’s been a role model of mine, ever since I’ve been in this team since 2012… I’m going to hold onto it for as long as I can until Maddi Levi passes me.”
Woodman-Wickliffe paid tribute to Brake on social media.
“Massive congratulations to you for becoming the top try-scorer in the Sevens World Series. I know you’ve been chasing me all that time and I’m glad, I’m so glad, that I finished before you got to take over because that would’ve really pissed me off, but I’m really, really proud of you. I’m grateful that I got to play alongside you, not many times I had to go against you. You’re a beast on the field, you’ve been a legend for the women’s game, for women’s sports, for rugby, and we’re so proud of you.
Black Ferns Sevens Scoring
Black Ferns Sevens: 58 (Brake 5, Paul 2, Saili, Waaka, Miller tries; Pouri-Lane 2 con, Brake con, Davis con) Ireland: 7 (Clare Gorman try; Kate Farrell McCabe con)
Black Ferns Sevens: 38 (Waaka, Brake, Hirini 2, Pouri-Lane, Miller tries; Pouri-Lane 3 cons, Davis con) China: 7 (Chen Can try, Chen Keyi con)
Black Ferns Sevens: 37 (Brake, Pouri-Lane 2, Waaka, Faleafaga, Miller, Paul tries; Pouri-Lane con) USA: 0
Black Ferns Sevens: 34 (Miller 2, Brake, Waaka 2, Teneti tries; Pouri-Lane 2 con) Canada: 12 (Asia Hogan-Rochester, Carissa Norsten tries; Olivia Apps con)
Black Ferns Sevens: 29 (Waaka 2, Brake, Miller, Teneti tries; Pouri-Lane 2 cons) Australia: 10 (Charlotte Caslick, Faith Nathan tries)
Black Ferns Sevens: 41 (Pouri-Lane, Nuku, Waaka, Miller, Brake, Davis, Paul tries; Nuku con, Davis 2 con) Fiji: 7 (Sesenieli Donu try; Lavena Cavuru con)
All Blacks Sevens
The All Blacks Sevens were on target for their first Cup semi-final since Dubai when leading their quarter-final 7-0 against Spain. Tone Ng Shiu ran with purpose all weekend and busted through for the first try.
Unfortunately, the vastly improved Spaniards kept pressing and Francisco Cosculluela slipped through and kicked a conversion sending the match to golden point.
Having controlled possession from the opening exchange in golden point, it didn’t take too long for Spain to score the match-winner, with Anton Legorburu Anso racing clear in the 15th minute.
The All Blacks Sevens went within a whisker of beating eventual cup finalists South Africa in their first pool game and then rebounded strongly to beat Australia and Ireland to qualify for the last eight.
Ollie Mathis continued his strong form and captain Dylan Collier was industrious.
Rookie Jayden Keelan scored his first two tries for New Zealand against Ireland. He was spotted by coach Tomasi Cama when the pair played together in a Manawatū club game.
“It was at Te Kawau on a bloody paddock they’d just got the cattle off. I put on my ankle braces on and tried to play strategy in the wet, get the ball moving. Tomasi jumped on from the bench and we ended up winning. In the dressing room afterward, he asked me if I was keen to come and have a jam against Tonga. I turned up to the trial in Auckland, did a little two-week camp, and thought that was it,” Keelan said.
Argentina won the tournament for a fourth consecutive time beating South Africa 19-12 in the final. With two tries Luciano Gonzalez was the player of the final. He has passed 150 SVNS tries.
New Zealand is seventh in the HSBC SVNS standings with 38 points, 30 behind the Pumas who lead Spain by four points and Fiji by six.
All Blacks Sevens Scoring
All Blacks Sevens: 10 (Ng Shiu, Knewstubb tries) South Africa: 12 (Quewin Nortje, Ronald Brown tries; Selvyn Davids con)
All Blacks Sevens: 17 (Webber, Ng Shiu, Collier tries; Knewstubb con) Australia: 7 (Michael Icely try, Hayden Sargeant con)
All Blacks Sevens: 31 (Webber, Keelan 2, Ware, Mathis tries; Knewstubb 3 con) Ireland: 21 (Jordan Conroy, Mark Roche, Josh Costello tries; Hugo Lennox 3 cons)
All Blacks Sevens: 7 (Ng Shiu try; Knewstubb con) Spain: 12 (Francisco Cosculluela, Anton Legorburu Anso tries; Cosculluela con)
All Black Sevens: 10 (Webber, Vaenuku tries) Great Britain: 31 (Sunni Jardine, Harry Glover, Will Homer 2, Freddie Roddick tries; Homer 3 cons)