Fiji thump New Zealand to win Rugby World Cup Sevens title

CAPE TOWN : Two tries in the opening two minutes propelled Olympic champions Fiji to a 29-12 victory over New Zealand in the final of the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town on Sunday.

Joseva Talacolo and Kaminieli Rasaku scored early to put New Zealand, who had won the previous two titles, on the backfoot, before Elia Canakaivata, Filipe Sauturaga and Pilipo Bukayaro added further tries in the one-sided decider.

It is a third World Cup win in all for the Fijians, but a first since 2005 as they made up for the disappointment of losing the Commonwealth Games final to South Africa in July.

"It was a huge performance, the boys have been fantastic the whole weekend," Fiji coach Ben Gollings told reporters.

"Everyone knows us for an attacking game, but the key for us is also to stop the tries against us. Yesterday and today were huge defensive performances, they (the players) have run themselves into the ground.

"We knew we let ourselves down in the Commonwealth Games final and we targeted this one."

Australia claimed the women's competition for the first time since 2009 with a dramatic 24-22 victory over holders New Zealand to secure a unique hat-trick of Commonwealth Games, World Series and World Cup titles in a single year.

New Zealand trailed by two scores with three minutes left on the clock but tries from Shiray Kaka and Alena Saili gave them the chance to pull level.

Tenika Willison then missed what she will feel was a relatively simple conversion from the second of those scores and the opportunity to take the game to extra-time was lost.

"We spoke about the 2009 squad today and doing it for them and for everybody back home," Australia's Charlotte Caslick said. "What we have achieved this year is pretty awesome."