The All Blacks and Black Ferns Sevens teams arrived back home this morning after sweeping the Cape Town leg of the World Sevens Series over the weekend.
After three weeks away, which also included the Dubai leg last weekend, the squads are happy to be back on home soil. Ngārohi McGarvey-Black says after the 15 hour flight from Dubai today, he's looking forward to some time off.
"It's good to come home. We've been away for three weeks, so I'm happy and relaxed now to be back home."
For the second time in 2019, both New Zealand teams ended the same tournament as champions. The Black Ferns Sevens team beat Australia 17-7 in the Cape Town final, before the All Blacks Sevens side avenged their loss the week before against South Africa, knocking the hosts over 7-5 in Cape Town.
McGarvey-Black scored the match winning try on Monday morning (NZT) to not only snatch the title for NZ but it make up for his handling error earlier that all but gifted the Blitzbokke the opening try of the final.
"I just wanted to get one back," the Ruatoki product says, "I made the error that gave them the lead, so I was stoked to score that for the team. Not for me, but for my teammates, my whānau and the country as a whole."
McGarvey-Black wasn't the only Mataatua player who stood out in Cape Town. Mahina Paul, who is from Poroporo near Whakatāne scored in extra time in the quarter-final against England that saw the Black Ferns stay alive on their way to their second successive tournament victory.
The 18 year-old, making her World Sevens Series debut, was put in space by Ruby Tui with scores locked up 21-21 to race away and score under the posts to give the Black Ferns a 26-21 victory.
"Scoring the try it just gave me the confidence. I think that's what I've been working on this year is just gaining that confidence. It was just a unreal feeling. Shout out to Ruby for giving me that pass out," Paul says.
Paul is still only 18, and is fresh out of high school. Joining the Sevens program a year ago, she never thought she'd be playing for the World Champions so early in her career. Her first appearance coincided with the first time the women's leg was played in Cape Town. With a crowd of around 50,000, Paul says the atmosphere at Cape Town Stadium was:
"So special. Just running out yeah, it was an unreal feeling. Pretty cool, making my debut and yeah, the girls were just so supportive, and real welcoming when I got over there."
The squads will now enjoy a two week break over the Christmas period, with both McGarvey-Black and Paul looking forward to spending more time with the whānau in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, before returning to Mt. Maunganui and back to training ahead of the Hamilton leg of the World Series at the end of January.