Fiji shine in New York as men and women reach sevens semi-finals

Fiji men’s and women’s sevens rugby teams have kept World Series title hopes alive after booking spots in the New York HSBC SVNS semi-finals.

The Fijiana finished second in pool A behind the New Zealand Black Ferns after a narrow 22-17 win over France and a 36-12 victory against Great Britain on Saturday.

Seventh-ranked Fiji will take on pool B toppers Australia in the semi-final on Monday, with kickoff at 6.34am (NZT).

For the men, the path to the semis was equally dramatic. Fiji lost their opening match 31-12 to Argentina on Saturday, leaving their title hopes on the line.

They nearly exited the tournament early, trailing 19-5 at halftime against Great Britain before turning it around to win 24-19.

Fiji returned to dominant form in their last pool match, thumping Spain 43-12 and setting up a semi-final clash with the Australian men’s team at 5.28am on Monday (NZT).

Players of the Fiji women's side in a training session. Photo/Facebook

Fiji men’s head coach Osea Kolinisau spoke about the squad’s focus and responsibility.

“The boys know the Series is on the line… Each player has to take responsibility and make sure they are ready,” he said on rugbypass.com.

“We know there are two ways we can win the series… win this tournament and finish above South Africa… and make sure we improve in defence, communication and our one‑on‑one tackles.”

The other men’s semi-final sees South Africa face Argentina at 5.50am (NZT).

Fiji and South Africa are tied on 86 points at the top of the men’s standings, with Australia fourth on 68 points.

Despite sitting third in the overall standings on 70 points, the New Zealand men’s team, will take on Great Britain in the fifth-place playoff semifinals.

The Kiwis suffered two losses in their pool play, the first to South Africa’s Blitzboks 22-7 and then 12-7 to Australia putting them out of Cup contention even with a 26-24 win over France.

Meanwhile, the Black Ferns Sevens have secured back-to-back World Series titles, finishing the season uncatchable with 98 points.

They won four out of the five legs, finishing second to Australia in Cape Town, and showed their strength in New York by defeating Fiji, Great Britain, and France.

Captain Risi Pouri-Lane reflected on the achievement: “Winning the series has definitely been a goal of ours this season,” Pouri-Lane told reporters.

“To win the league and be consistent throughout it is probably one of the hardest things to do because it’s such a long season.”

The New Zealand women will play third-ranked USA in the first semi-final at 6.12am (NZT).

For Fiji, reaching the semi-finals represents more than just results. It is a testament to the resilience and skill of Pacific athletes competing on the world stage.

And both squads will look to build on these performances as the series heads into the finals on Monday (NZT).

For more information on the New York HSBC SVNS competition, click here.