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In the end it wasn’t even close. New Zealand closed out a perfect tournament with a sensational 46-0 win over Australia to claim the title at the Langford Sevens on Sunday. Their only scare came against England in the Quarter Final, with Portia Woodman completing her hat trick to seal the one-score win.
The Women’s Eagles finished in third place, a fine result, and might well consider themselves the second-best team at the tournament after losing out to eventual champions in the Semi Finals. Their 21-5 win over France in the Bronze Final redeemed their earlier loss to the French side on Day One.
A thrilling Quarter Final between the two North American sides was the highlight of Day Two. Alev Kelter scored twice two help the USA to a 21-12 lead at the break, but Bianca Farella replied with her own double in the second half to nudge Canada ahead. It was Naya Tapper who saved the day for the USA with her last minute try enough to put the USA into the Semis and it was heartbreak for the hosts.
Canada recovered from the disappointment to smash both England and Ireland en route to a 5th place finish. Farella was in outstanding form with two tries in the first match and a hat trick in their last match of the tournament. It marked a significant improvement on Kitakyushu and sees the team rising to 4th on the overall standings.
The second day also saw improvement from Brazil. Their young side fell short against Japan in the Trophy Semi Final but they came good in the end, defeating Russia 24-19 with a remarkable comeback that saw them score four tries in the last four minutes of the match to erase a 19-0 deficit. Bianca Silva scored the game winner after notching two against Japan, while Amanda Araujo scored two tries against Russia.
Russia’s woeful tournament sees them drop from 3rd spot to 6th overall with all of France, Canada, and the USA overtaking them. The series concludes in Paris in three weeks’ time.
DAY TWO RESULTS
CUP QUARTER FINALS
France 27 – 0 Ireland
Australia 21 – 5 Fiji
USA 28 – 26 Canada
New Zealand 17 – 12 England
TROPHY SEMI FINALS
Japan 31 – 21 Brazil
Spain 14 – 7 Russia
5th PLACE SEMI FINALS
Ireland 19 – 7 Fiji
Canada 35 – 12 England
CUP SEMI FINALS
France 12 – 17 Australia
USA 10 – 33 New Zealand
11th PLACE FINAL
Brazil 24 – 19 Russia
TROPHY FINAL
Japan 26 – 21 Spain
7th PLACE FINAL
Fiji 24 – 29 England
5th PLACE FINAL
Ireland 12 – 29 Canada
BRONZE FINAL
France 5 – 21 USA
CUP FINAL
Australia 0 – 46 New Zealand
