South Africa New Zealand Fiji Rugby as South Africa New Zealand Fiji

Blitzboks fall at the final hurdle in Sydney as rampant New Zealand crowned champions

news24.com

A dominant performance in which they never relinquished control handed New Zealand an emphatic 38-0 win over the Blitzboks in the final of the Sydney Sevens.Both sides started the final nervously, with several knock-ons stopping any attacking momentum.

New Zealand opened the scoring in the 3rd minute with a long-range effort in which Roderick Solo stepped two South African defenders to gallop away and score a converted try under the posts for a 7-0 lead.READ | Blitzboks thump Fiji, face New Zealand in Sydney Sevens finalJoe Webber then scored a second as he crashed over from a scrum close to the Blitzboks' line.Akuila Rokolisoa added the conversion for a 12-0 lead.That became 17-0 at half-time after Sam Dickson got over in the right-hand corner well after the hooter had sounded.South Africa would need a monumental effort to get back into the encounter, but New Zealand kept control by starving the Blitzboks of any meaningful possession.When South Africa did launch a promising attack from deep, they were undone by a knock-on which snubbed out any momentum they had hoped to build in search of their first score.

New Zealand had a chance to put the match to bed when they launched a break out from their try-line, but Rokolisoa knocked on with no South African defenders in sight.??

New Zealand has taken over #Sydney7s!@nz_sevens are your CHAMPIONS with a massive 38-0 win over South Africa! ????#HSBC7s pic.twitter.com/vrJHLXxrpiNew Zealand put the Blitzboks under immense pressure from the resulting scrum, allowing Rokolisoa to kick through, collect and score.He added the extras as New Zealand opened up a 24-0 lead with just two minutes left in the final.

Related News
NZ vs ENG, 1st Test Live Updates: England look to extend their 98-run lead over New Zealand on Day 3 of the 1st Test at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. The visitors lost openers Ben Duckett, for 25, and Zak Crawley, for 28, in reaching 79-2 off 16 overs at stumps on Day 2. Earlier, Tom Blundell's career-best 138 steered his side to 306 and just 19 runs short of England's 325-9 declared. Blundell shared a 75-run partnership with opener Devon Conway (77) but just as valuable were late stands with tailenders Kuggeleijn and Blair Tickner -- both on Test debut -- of 53 and 59 respectively. (LIVE SCORECARD)
There may be a strong Kiwi influence underpinning England’s electric approach to Test cricket these days but, on the eve of this series opener, Tim Southee stressed his New Zealand team would not be veering from their own tried and trusted approach.
:Tom Blundell scored a defiant half-century and frustrated England for an entire session as New Zealand reached 238 for eight at the dinner break on day two of the first pink ball test on Friday.
High-octane batting and a precocious day-one declaration put England in control of the first Test against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui on Thursday.

Latest News

Change privacy settings
This page might use cookies if your analytics vendor requires them.