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Black Ferns Sevens beat arch-rivals Australia to win SVNS League title
The Black Ferns Sevens have beaten arch-rivals Australia 31-21 in Singapore to not only claim their fourth Cup final triumph in a row but to also secure the coveted SVNS Series League title.
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New Zealand’s slow start to the 2023/24 season in Dubai, Cape Town and Perth seems like a long time ago now with the reigning overall Series champions going on a stunning unbeaten run.
Captain Risi Pouri-Lane has lifted various trophies at SVNS stops in Vancouver, Los Angeles, Hong Kong China and now Singapore to edge Aussie in a thrilling race for the League crown.
Australia were the form team from those first three events, including a win in Dubai which saw them end New Zealand’s then-41-game unbeaten run. Those heroics haven’t been forgotten.
New Zealand and Australia were locked equal on 106 overall competition points coming into the campaign’s final regular season event which is what made Sunday’s Cup final so intriguing.
Two trophies were up for grabs for the victor, and it was New Zealand skipper Pouri-Lane who triumphantly hoisted both on the back of a Jorja Miller masterclass in the 10-point win.
“It definitely feels pretty good. We always want to go to battle with the Aussies in the final,” Player of the Final Jorja Miller told RugbyPass.
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“To go out there, get the win, have a pretty decent performance, I’m pretty happy.
“To go into Madrid with confidence and knowing that we’ve built from the start of the season off the back of LA, Vancouver into here,” she added.
“We’re gonna go home, put some work in and hopefully bring it out in Madrid.”
Miller didn’t get on the scoresheet in the decider but it was clear for all to see how important the rising star was. Whether it was in attack, defence or at the breakdown, Miller was everywhere.
The 20-year-old contributed heavily to Portia Woodman-Wickliffe’s try in the 14th minute but was noticeably important in various other attacking phases too as the youngster pinned the ears.
Michaela Blyde got the part start with a try inside the first minute and the Olympic gold medallist went on to complete a hat-trick. Stacey Waaka was New Zealand’s other try scorer.
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Australia’s Maddison Levi was of course on the scoresheet not once but twice – a feat which is becoming more common than not – but the second half was dominated by the women in black.
While the Black Ferns Sevens continued to celebrate their SVNS League title, Miller stepped away and was asked about the secret behind her ascent in the world of rugby sevens.
“Honesty, I don’t know,” she said with a laugh. “The girls call me a ‘tin a**’ and I get it but honestly when a gap opens up I’m just going for it regardless of the overlap.
“If the girls are yelling, if I see half a glimpse I’m gonna take it.”
Catch up on all the latest SVNS Series action from the 2023/24 season on RugbyPass TV. SVNS Singapore is free to watch, all you need to do is sign up HERE.
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Comments on RugbyPass
We dominated the scrums Ben Curry was all over pitch again .Surely James Harper got to be one of best English tightheads
1 Go to commentsRoos is a better option at 6 than 8 for the boks. Needs to work on his windgat though.
1 Go to commentsThe Sharks’ 2nd team maybe?
1 Go to comments‘radical’
1 Go to commentsCome back to Christchurch Robbie, please!
1 Go to commentsI think there is zero chance Sam Cane will be selected for another Test. There is simply no point except sentimentality. Razor is not sentimental- ask Wyatt Crocket. Razor is a ruthless selector
4 Go to comments> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
4 Go to commentswhat’s happening to Ian Peel?
1 Go to commentsAs a Crusaders fan , so disappointed , again.But I think Fergus Burke was all class for the Crusaders in his first game since October last year. Fletcher Newell , was so good at prop. Johnny McNicoll has been gold since returning from Wales. Noah Hotham brilliant , in a coming of age second season for the Crusaders.Jone Rova did really well at centre. The end of the game was tough.Sevu Reece , what a game/season in tough times.
1 Go to commentsFellas a balloon
3 Go to commentsBlues B team on display and made no race of it. By far the best team in SR with the Hurricanes barely getting past the winning post. Up the Blues 💙
7 Go to commentsWould be amazing to have Servette Genève reaching this level
3 Go to commentsThe Crusaders can't buy a win this season. Surely Penney's contract won't be renewed. There's still enough talent in the squad that they oughta be winning more.
1 Go to commentsABs captain for 23 seasons. Decent record. Surely nobody will surpass it. Legend. But alas a typo…
4 Go to commentsJust FYI Rugbypass, I for one am tired of your clickbait titles and thumbnails and will be clicking them no longer. Good day.
1 Go to commentsI think Farrell despite all of the stick he gets in the media is still one of if not the best fly half in the world. He is literally the full package. He can kick one of the best in the world, probably has the best defensive game of a fly half in the world and if he wants to he can run, take contact and find an offload to keep the pace of the attack. I dont know why he isnt spoken more about still being one of the best in the world with the likes of dupont. Farrell is the ultimate captain and team leader and is experienced- he has been in nearly any situation you can think of. I still believe due to these reasons that he is England’s best ever player and is still one of the best players in the world.
48 Go to commentsBlues are dominating up front and that’s been a long time coming. They have won the up front confrontation which is where canes, hilanders and act brumbies are also strong.
7 Go to commentsJust watched brumbies v safas game sadly not a show in he’ll thryr anywhere near quarters or semi contention. Admittedly some issues around new comers bot what stands out for me is coaching management, poor game planning and accuracy.
5 Go to commentsOne tough SOB!
16 Go to commentsI’ve put on 4/5 kilos since the beginning of the season too. Not good kilos. Bad kilos.
7 Go to comments