Fiji carry Pacific hopes as New Zealand Black Ferns make history

Fiji flew the Pacific flag deep into finals day of the HSBC Sevens Rugby Series in Perth on Sunday, and while the men fell just short of the title, the weekend ended with a breakthrough moment.

New Zealand’s Black Ferns Sevens and the South Africa men’s BlitzBoks secured their maiden Perth crowns of the series.

The Kiwis defeated Australia 29-7 while South Africa pipped Fiji 21-19 in the men’s final.

The Fijians booked their place with a commanding 35-0 semi-final win over New Zealand. The match swung early when Akuila Rokolisoa was shown a red card for a dangerous tackle, leaving the Kiwis to play most of the contest with six men.

Despite the setback, New Zealand showed resistance and created chances but Fiji controlled possession and territory, steadily building pressure to seal a one-sided win and progress as the sole Pacific nation left in the tournament.

In the final, Fiji went toe-to-toe with South Africa in a tense contest that was decided by the finest of margins.

Both sides scored three tries but the difference came from the kicking tee where South Africa’s Ricardo Duarttee converted all three attempts, compared to Fiji’s two.

Kelsey Teneti of New Zealand. Photo/Richard Wainwright/Photosport

While Fiji’s men narrowly missed out, the spotlight soon shifted to the New Zealand women who delivered a statement performance of their own.

The Black Ferns claimed their maiden Perth title with a dominant victory over Australia, snapping the hosts’ 10-match winning streak at HBF Park and extending New Zealand’s lead at the top of the World Series standings to four points.

Veteran Stacey Waaka led the defensive effort, keeping Australian speedster Maddison Levi tightly marked and denying her space.

New Zealand Black Ferns Sevens team and South Africa Men celebrate winning the Cup Final. Photo/Alex Ho/World Rugby

On the left edge, Kelsey Teneti was impressive, finishing the tournament as the top try scorer: eight tries in five games, including two tries in the final.

Teneti was named player of the final and shared her thoughts in a post-match interview.

“I’ve never received an award like this,” she said. “We carry our Whānau on our shoulders. It’s crucial to just do the basics. Aussie is an amazing team, do the basics right.”

Tries from Teneti, Jorja Miller, Risi Pouri-Lane, Katelyn Vaha’akolo, and Alena Saili sealed the win with the final blow coming right on fulltime after an Australian error.

After Sunday’s results, New Zealand women sit four points clear overall with Australia on 74, and the United States on 54.

The World Series now pauses before resuming in Vancouver, Canada, on 7 and 8 March.

For more information on fixtures and results, click here.