Black Ferns World Series title, New York Sevens
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
The Black Ferns have won the Sevens World Series for another year after beating Australia 22-21 in a tight final of the inaugural New York round held in New Jersey.
New Zealand won five of the six rounds this season with their latest victoryextending their lead in the overall standings over the Australians, who won one round.
LATEST HEADLINES:
Kelsey Teneti started the scoring for the Black Ferns before Australia hit back with two tries to take a 14-5 lead into halftime.
Australia were the first to score in the second half through Tegan Levi to extend their lead to 21-5.
The Black Ferns needed to score next and they did through Alena Saili to cut Australia's lead to 11 points with a few minutes remaining.
New Zealand kept hold of possession and scored again with Teneti dotting down to make it a one-try game at 21-15.
Australia tried to kill the game off by holding on to the ball for the final minutes but gave away a penalty handing New Zealand possession. The Black Ferns took their chance with Katelyn Vahaakolo diving over at close range.
The try was converted giving New Zealand a 22-21 lead and that's how the match would end, with the Black Ferns crowned champions in New York. Teneti was named player of the final.
The New Zealand women beat Great Britain, Fiji and France in pool play. They beat hosts the United States 26-14 in the semi-finals before outclassing Australia in the title decider.
The All Blacks Sevens were sixth in New York after pool play defeats to South Africa and Australia. However they did beat Great Britain in the fifth place semi but in turn they lost 21-14 by France in the fifth/sixth place playoff.
South Africa won the men's title after beating Fiji 10-7 in the final, with the victory also securing the overall World Series title for the South Africans.
The All Blacks Sevens finished fourth overall in the title race.
The New Zealanders will play a three-tournament World Championship series (held in Hong Kong, Valladolid, and Bordeaux), with the Grand Final in Bordeaux, France, on 5-7 June.
