Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

NZ made to work 'really hard' for thrilling quarterfinal win

By Finn Morton
(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

New Zealand are through to the semi-finals of the Sydney Sevens are a thrilling 12-0 win over rivals Samoa in the first men’s quarterfinal on Saturday.

ADVERTISEMENT

The All Blacks Sevens were incredible during their first two games of the event, albeit against less fancied opposition.

After opening their Sydney Sevens campaign with an emphatic 45-7 win over Uruguay, the men in black backed that result with a convincing 33-nil win over Kenya.

Video Spacer

Video Spacer

That match set up a titanic tussle against fierce rivals South Africa, and that match couldn’t have been any more dramatic.

South Africa recorded victory in Sydney – and ultimately topped Pool B – after kicking a penalty goal in the kicking stages to win by three points.

New Zealand then faced an intriguing matchup against Samoa, if they wanted to keep their Cup Final dreams alive heading into Day Three.

This match was by no means easy; Samoa have been one of the form teams of the World Series this season, and they showed Sydney why that is once more on Saturday evening.

ADVERTISEMENT

The All Blacks Sevens opened the scoring through Roderick Solo, but had to wait until the final minute of the match to score again.

But as the adage goes, defence wins championships.

After walking off the field alongside some of his New Zealand teammates, sevens veteran Dylan Collier reflected on the “real close game.”

“It was a real close game all the way through and we just closed it out at the end there,” Collier told RugbyPass.

“Full credit to Samoa, they’ve been on fire all weekend. They’ve been probably one of the form teams.

ADVERTISEMENT

“We made it a bit hard for ourselves in the game before having to come up against them, but just really pleased to get the win, we worked really hard and managed to come out on top.”

New Zealand star Joe Webber was clearly disappointed following the loss to South Africa, but appeared confident that the team could bounce back in the quarterfinals.

And that’s exactly what they did.

Related

The result seemed to teach the World Series leaders a thing or two, before entering the fray of sudden death rugby once again.

“To be honest in that game against South Africa we didn’t play our best. We blew a lot (of opportunities), he added.

“We just knew we had to be a bit more clinical and execute our plays.

“In finals footy you’ve just got to take your opportunities when you can. As you saw in that game there were only two tries scored so we just had to take them when we could.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

B
Bull Shark 12 minutes ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically. I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

25 Go to comments
FEATURE
FEATURE Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model? Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?
Search