New Zealand 7s beat Australia in tense final to complete Dubai SVNS double

New Zealand 7s claimed the men’s title at the Dubai SVNS, edging Australia 26-22 in a final that swung between brilliance and bedlam in front of the biggest crowd the Emirati tournament has seen.

The men’s side were chasing an NZ double after the women’s side beat the very same opposition in their final.

Australia struck first after an early New Zealand miscue from the kick-off handed them possession. Wallace Charlie nearly conjured a solo stunner before being hauled down short, but the recycled ball eventually found Maurice Longbottom. The playmaker hit a sharp inside line, scooping up a low pass from Dietrich Roache to crash over for 5-0.

He took a heavy bang in the act of scoring and was replaced immediately, a bad omen for Australia given his importance.

New Zealand responded with typical patience, building a long spell of phase play up the field. When the ball squirted loose from a messy ruck, Dylan Collier reacted first and finished in the corner. Sofai Notoa-Tipo thumped over the conversion for a 7-5 lead, and moments later he produced a decisive step to carve upfield before feeding Akuila Rokolisoa for 12-5.

Australia thought they had struck back when James McGregor sparked a break that sent them 60 metres downfield, only for TMO replays to show Aden Ekanayake grazed the touchline under a brave cover tackle from the excellent Brady Rush. Soon after, Jayden Blake and Notoa-Tipo clattered into one another contesting a high ball, prompting a brief pause but no foul play. Australia were unimpressed when half-time was called with an attack building, but the referee wasn’t interested in their protests despite a lengthy chat among the officials during the break.

The Australians rebooted with purpose after the interval through Henry Hutchison, Roache and Josh Turner, but their momentum collapsed when Blake spilled the ball in contact. New Zealand pounced, with Sione Molia strolling through untouched for a soft score that pushed the margin to 19-5.

Turner then produced the moment Australia needed, blasting through multiple tackles before slinging a looping pass that eventually worked its way to William Cartwright for 19-10.

From the muddled restart, Harry Wilson scooped up the scraps to strike again, trimming the gap to 19-15 and igniting real belief in the Aussie camp.

But just as the pressure mounted, New Zealand found the play that mattered. Jayden Keelan stepped his way around the defensive line and accelerated from halfway, burning the cover to restore a two-score lead at 26-15.

Wilson muscled over late for his second as Australia chased a final twist, but the All Blacks SVNS held firm to secure the title and deny their old rivals what would have been a dramatic comeback win.