New Zealand men and women win Sydney Sevens to top standings
Sunday 3 February 2019 12:17, UK
New Zealand made it a double victory in the Rugby Sevens in Sydney on Sunday, winning the men's and the women's tournaments to top both overall standings.
The All Blacks Sevens claimed their second title in the fourth leg of the season, comfortably beating the USA 21-5 in the men's final.
Earlier, the Black Ferns Sevens stamped their dominance in the women's competition when they beat arch-rivals Australia 34-10 in the final to extend their record 48-match unbeaten run.
The Americans were looking to win their first men's gold medal this season after three silvers in the first three rounds, but were only able to score one try against the injury-hit Kiwis' three.
Two tries from Regan Ware and Sam Dickson - later awarded player of the final - took New Zealand to a 14-0 lead at half-time, with Tone Ng Shiu adding a third just after the break.
The Eagles finally got on the scoreboard through Brett Thompson, but they were not able to overcome the deficit as New Zealand comfortably hung on for the victory.
England secured third place after defeating Fiji 19-17, while South Africa scored a try in the final play of the fifth-place play-off to beat the hosts and cling onto fourth place in the overall standings.
The All Blacks Sevens' win means they are now joint leaders of the World Series standings alongside the USA on 76 points, with six rounds to go.
The women were just as commanding in their final, with their win a sweet revenge after they were crushed 31-0 by the Australians in the Sydney final last year.
World Rugby women's sevens player of the year Michaela Blyde scored a hat-trick, while Stacey Waaka put away two tries.
Australia suffered a blow in the first half when skipper Sharni Williams was yellow-carded, leaving the Kiwis to take advantage of their superior numbers and go into the break 17-5 up after two tries.
Despite the loss, Australia's women climbed to joint third on the overall standings behind New Zealand, the USA and Canada.
