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It was double gold for New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games as the men’s team proved a class apart in the Men’s Rugby Sevens event. A 14-0 win over rivals Fiji in the Gold Final sealed the tournament win. It’s the fifth time New Zealand have won gold since the sport was introduced at the 1998 games in Kuala Lumper. South Africa’s win at Glasgow in 2014 is the only time a different country has been victorious.
After cruising through the pool stage New Zealand came up against a confident England side in the Semi Final but they proved little more than a speed bump. A late try to Alex Davis brought the score closer but New Zealand were clearly the better team.
Fiji meanwhile were rattled by Wales in their final pool game and needed a try in extra time from Amenoni Nasilasila to get past South Africa in the Semi Final. The only Semi Finalists to send a full-strength squad to Hong Kong last week finally ran out of gas against New Zealand.
HSBC Sevens Series leaders South Africa were left bitterly disappointed as they also missed out on the Bronze Medal. After leading 14-0 at the break they conceded three tries to England in the second half with captain Tom Mitchell the scorer to break South African hearts just over a minute before full-time.
It was a largely forgettable tournament for the two teams from the Americas. Neither team would make it out of the pool stage. Canada collapsed in the second half against Kenya and though Zambia proved easy pickings, the final match against New Zealand was a fruitless exercise.
Jamaica left the Gold Coast with no wins but managed to score one try in each match. Ashley Smith, Tyler Bush, and Reinhardo Richards would cross the line against England, Australia, and Samoa respectively.
The 2017-18 HSBC Sevens Series continues in two weeks’ time at Singapore.
FINAL STANDINGS
1 New Zealand
2 Fiji
3 England
4 South Africa
5 Australia
6 Scotland
7 Wales
8 Kenya
