NEW ZEALAND BEAT AUSTRALIA IN CANADA SEVENS FINAL

New Zealand hung on to win a tense final at the HSBC Canada Sevens in front of another bumper crowd at BC Place in Vancouver. The All Blacks Sevens’ 17-14 victory over rivals Australia means they stretch their lead at the top of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series standings to 11 points after six rounds of the competition. The silver medal represents Australia’s best result of the Series so far and their second podium finish following bronze in Hamilton.

The final was a see-saw affair, which included three yellow cards, but ultimately a pair of tries from Joe Ravouvou sealed the victory for New Zealand who duly performed their famous Haka in celebration after receiving their medals.

The All Blacks Sevens reached the final courtesy of a dominant 17-5 quarter-final victory over Fiji before seeing off last year’s HSBC Canada Sevens champions South Africa, running in five tries to win a high quality semi-final 27-15.

Hosts Canada were outstanding throughout the weekend and brought the huge crowd to their feet by winning the bronze medal with an impressive 26-19 victory over last year’s winners South Africa. Canada were fully deserving of their first Series podium finish since they won gold in Singapore in 2017 and proved that with the Olympic Games just a few months away, many teams can be in with a chance of becoming Olympic medallists.

The results in Vancouver mean New Zealand maintain their position at the top of the Series standings, increasing their lead to 11 points over second placed South Africa with four rounds still to play. Fiji remain in third place with Australia hot on their heels just two points behind in fourth. The All Blacks Sevens have been the most consistent performers of the series, winning medals in five of the six rounds so far.

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