Aussies Endure Heavy Defeat in Singapore Sevens Final to Kiwi World Champions

The New Zealand women’s rugby team successfully defended their title at the Singapore Sevens, clinching victory over Australia with a score of 31-7, while the Fiji men’s team celebrated their first tournament win in three years at the National Stadium on Sunday.

Fiji achieved a hard-fought 21-12 triumph against Kenya in the men’s final, recovering after a scoreless first half.

New Zealand kicked off their match in style, with Michaela Brake scoring within the first 69 seconds, followed by Risi Pouri-Lane who dodged defenders to extend their lead to 12-0.

The first half was almost settled, but New Zealand’s attempt to play out of their 22-metre line just before the siren led to a turnover, allowing Maddison Levi to score and narrow the deficit to five points.

Just 35 seconds into the second half, Jazmin Felix-Hotham made a well-timed grubber kick to score, then assisted Kelsey Teneti for another try.

Teneti nearly doubled her tally but was thwarted by an impressive defensive effort from Levi, who managed to dislodge the ball from her grip just before she could score.

Brake, the all-time top try-scorer in the women’s World Series, sealed the match with her second try, raising New Zealand’s finals record against Australia to 20 wins out of 29 encounters.

The New Zealand team has reached all six finals of this World Series, securing victory in four tournaments, including the last three in a row. Despite their dominance, they were narrowly denied the series championship last year, as the concluding leg in Los Angeles was a winner-takes-all format.

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In the men’s final, history proved to be a favourable factor for Fiji.

They were making their 85th cup final appearance (with 46 victories), while Kenya was competing in its seventh (with just one win) and the first in nearly eight years. Fiji also boasted an impressive 14-match winning streak against Kenya, dating back to 2018.

Surprisingly, Kenya made the stronger start, taking the lead while Fiji’s captain Sevu Mocenacagi was sidelined for a high tackle. They scored first just after the halftime whistle.

A misplaced pass from Fiji near halfway was seized by Vincent Onyala, allowing Nygel Amaitsa to race ahead and score in the in-goal area.

With a 7-0 lead, Kenya maintained an impressive record of not conceding points in the first half of their matches in Singapore.

However, Kenya’s over-reliance on their aggressive defence ultimately backfired.

Just two minutes into the second half, Joseva Talacolo broke through two tackles, setting up Vuiviwa Naduvalo for the try that levelled the scores.

As Kenya struggled with penalties and mistakes, losing possession, Naduvalo then scored his second try, putting Fiji ahead 14-7 with just three minutes left on the clock.

Fiji secured their victory when Talacolo assisted Rauto Vakadranu for a final try, while Kenya’s William Mwanji managed to register a consolation score.

Naduvalo was named Player of the Final, repeating the accolade he earned when Fiji last triumphed in Singapore back in 2022.