New Zealand won their second leg of the Sevens World Series in a 21-5 defeat of the United States in the Sydney Sevens final at Spotless Stadium on Sunday night [AEDT].
The 16-point loss was the Eagles fourth consecutive grand final loss this season, while the win took New Zealand to the top of the series standings.
Having come through a semifinal against Fiji, who were riding a 22-game winning streak, the All Blacks Sevens were never headed in the final after they skipped out to a 14-0 lead on the back of a superb first half.
Regan Ware and Sam Dickson were on the scoresheet by halftime, and when Tone Ng Shiu picked up the Kiwis’ third early in the second stanza the game was done. The Eagles got one back via Brett Thompson but it did little to make up for the disappointment of another defeat in a tournament decider.
The result completed the perfect day for New Zealand after their women’s team had walloped fierce rivals Australia 34-10 in the decider earlier in the afternoon.
Meanwhile, Australia’s inconsistency continues to haunt them on the men’s circuit, with the hosts ruing another missed chance, this time on home soil.
Tim Walsh’s men were confined to sixth, with South Africa scoring on the bell on Sunday night to beat the hosts 12-10 in a reverse of last year’s grand final result in Sydney.