Six-peat at stake: Australia chase history in Dubai final against NZ

Australia need one more win to claim a record-breaking sixth consecutive Dubai Sevens title, but a familiar foe stands in the defending champions’ way – with New Zealand progressing to a fourth consecutive final at the event with a 31-5 win over Japan.

Coach Tim Walsh described Australia’s performance on day one as “rusty” during an interview on the HSBC SVNS Series broadcast, but the defending champions still held an unbeaten record, before a statement 31-10 triumph over Fiji in the semi-finals.

Defending SVNS Series champions New Zealand started their campaign with a clinical performance against France, before falling to the USA in a shock defeat. The New Zealanders bounced back with a much-needed win over Fiji, securing their place in the semi-finals.

Japan qualified for the final four after recording victories against Great Britain and Olympic silver medallists Canada. The Japanese had never beaten the Black Ferns Sevens, but they didn’t shy away from the challenge, throwing the ball around with confidence early on.

It took four minutes for New Zealand to strike, with Kelsey Teneti setting Mahina Paul up for the opener in the fourth minute. Jorja Miller extended the Black Ferns Sevens’ lead with the team’s second try soon after, as they took a 14-0 lead into the half-time break.

After an impressive series of performances on the opening day, Teneti continued to shine brightly at The Sevens Stadium. Teneti followed the first-half try assist with a five-pointer of her own early in the second half.

Some more brilliance from Miller saw the Black Ferns Sevens all but wrap up the result, setting up Paul late in the piece. Paul came close to scoring less than one minute later, with Katelyn Vaahakolo strolling in for the score in the next phase.

Vahaakolo was shown a yellow card in the dying stages of the match, with Japan reaping the rewards of their one-player advantage. Honoko Tsutsumi scored the final try of the match, with the conversion attempt missing the mark.

“Just getting the cobwebs out. We’ve been in Abu Dhabi for the week prior and I think just setting the benchmark and going from there,” Teneti said on the broadcast.

“Few mistakes, few things we weren’t too proud of but just coming into day two knowing we had to sharpen those things.”

Levi sisters Teagan and Maddison combined for the opening score of Australia’s semi-final against Fiji. Teagan broke down the field before passing the ball onto try-scoring machine Madison, who is a former recipient of World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year.

Bienne Terita added to Australia’s lead before Fiji struck back through Silika Qalo. It was a seven-point game with less than two minutes left in the half, and the score didn’t change, even after two minutes of play with the clock in the red.

Fijiana almost scored the first try of the half, immediately off the restart, but Faith Nathan made a desperate stop in defence. Maddison Levi would strike a couple of minutes later, as the Australians took control of this semi-final.

Hinds all but sealed the win with an effort in the 11^th minute, running through a gap in Fiji’s defence. The try-scorer added the extras from right in front, before taking the restart back at the halfway line.

Australia’s Kaitlan Shave and Fiji’s Adi Vani Buleki scored a try each before full-time. This was Australia’s 32^nd straight win at the Dubai Sevens.

If they win the Cup Final, they will become the first team ever to win six consecutive SVNS Series titles at the same event.