Black Ferns Sevens celebrate Cape Town gold! Image: Getty Images.
As the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series wraps up for the year, New Zealand has finished strongly with the women's and men's teams picking up more medals.
The Black Ferns Sevens team exacted revenge against Australia for last week's Dubai cup final loss with a dominating gold win, 31-14. But the All Blacks Sevens missed out on gold in their cup final match against Sāmoa, 7-12, claiming silver in Cape Town.
Tyla Nathan-Wong's (Ngāpuhi) stellar performance with two tries and three conversions earned her the Player of the Final. Fellow teammates Shiray Kaka, Michaela Blyde and Kelly Brazier helped in the try-scoring too.
Brady Rush was the lone try scorer for the All Blacks Sevens team in the 10th minute, where a conversion after had them up at 7-5. However, with over a minute to go, a costly penalty had Sāmoa play the tap and go and, one wide pass later, score the match-winning try to clinch their first series title since Paris in 2016.
Heading into the Hamilton leg of the series next year in January, both Australia and New Zealand women's teams lead the standings with 38 points each, while the men are third with 44 points, just behind South Africa and Sāmoa, tied up at 47.
The World Series returns to Hamilton, New Zealand, on January 21 and 22.
