Teneti stars as New Zealand complete stunning comeback over Australia

New Zealand added another two trophies to the cabinet at HSBC SVNS New York, crowned the Women’s SVNS Series Winners and taking out the Cup Final with a remarkable 22-21 comeback against arch-rivals Australia.

The Black Ferns Sevens went into the final event of the regular season as the top-ranked side on the standings, having won titles at four of this season’s other five tournaments. Australia did claim some silverware with a series of impressive performances at SVNS Cape Town in December.

Both the New Zealanders and Australians had qualified for every Cup Final this season, and that trend continued at Sports Illustrated Stadium. Another chapter in this decorated rivalry was written into the history books on Sunday, with Risi Pouri-Lane among the heroes for New Zealand in the end.

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Following semi-final wins over the USA and Fiji, New Zealand and Australia made their way out onto the field ahead of this highly anticipated decider. The Black Ferns Sevens would’ve been considered favourites by many, but the Australians took control during the first half.

Kelsey Teneti opened the scoring for the Black Ferns Sevens in the second minute, before the Levi sisters helped Australia take over. Try-scoring phenomenon Maddison Levi raced away for an important score in the third minute before younger sister Teagan made her mark.

Teagan scored one try on either side of the half-time break, with the Australians leading 21-5 with five minutes remaining. But the Black Ferns Sevens began to fight their way back, with Alena Saili and Teneti making it a one-score game with try-scoring efforts.

Australia still led by six with two minutes left, and the women in gold did everything they could to retain their advantage. Maddison Levi produced a stunning try-saving tackle, only for Katelyn Vahaakolo to burrow over for a pivotal try in the next phase.

With less than 30 seconds on the clock, Black Ferns Sevens captain Pouri-Lane lined up a shot at goal from close range. New Zealand trailed by one, but the skipper sent the ball through the uprights to put the SVNS 1 Winners in front.

The Black Ferns Sevens scored 17 unanswered points in a four-minute span to secure their fifth title in six events this season. They are now exempt from relegation ahead of the upcoming World Championships, which start next month.

In the third-place playoff, the USA gave the home crowd plenty to cheer about with an entertaining 26-17 victory against Fiji. Kristi Kirshe, Su Adegoke, Kaylen Thomas and Ariana Ramsey all made their mark on the scoreboard during the hard-fought win.