Normal service has been resumed in the IRB Sevens World Series. New Zealand, series champions eight times out of ten but without a win in any sevens tournament last year, are back on top form.
Tomasi Cama sealed a 24-12 final win on Saturday for the All Blacks over Samoa in style by charging down a clearance, then chipping the ball ahead and beating the defence to score his second try.
The statistics show that New Zealand scored more often, tackled better and made fewer errors than anyone else here, but that doesn’t convey the sense of teamship — they walk off the pitch like a phalanx of blind men, each with a hand resting on a shoulder of the man in front — or determination. They were wounded last year, but with sevens now an Olympic sport, New Zealand wanted to lay down an early marker for the gold medal.
With the second tournament of the World Series starting in George, South Africa, on Friday, New Zealand’s challengers need to catch up quickly. South Africa, last year’s champions, were strangely impotent in Dubai, beaten by Fiji in the quarter-finals and by Australia in the consolation Plate tournament.
England, who twice snatched World Series finals from New Zealand last year, had looked good on the first day but started their semi-final against Samoa so poorly that they were 21-0 down in four minutes.
Advertisement
Samoa’s third try seemed highly debatable, with replays showing Lolu Lui knocking the ball on before it was grounded by Mikaele Pesamino, but England’s reply at the end of the half, by Nick Royle after a chip ahead, was also possibly not touched down.
England had two potential scores turned down early in the second half — Jake Abbott called back for a forward pass and Chris Cracknell knocking on in sight of the line — but Cracknell got England within seven points soon after. Pesamino stretched Samoa’s lead again, but Cracknell finished off a try created by Danny Caprice’s break to ensure that England finished with a flourish.
This was the second consecutive time Ben Ryan’s side had been undone in Dubai by the Pacific Islanders. They lost the quarter-final of the World Cup here in March in extra time. “They seem to be our nemesis,” the England sevens coach said. “I hope we don’t play them again in Dubai for some while.”
England did not look wholly convincing either in their “golden try” quarter-final win against Argentina, who missed a conversion in the final second to win the game in normal time. While their tackling was wholehearted, they failed to venture into Argentina’s half until the second period.
At least England played the sudden-death sensibly. From a punt downfield by Argentina, Royle returned the ball at speed but offloaded to an Argentinian as he was tackled ten metres out. However, England piled on top of the player, turning the ball over and allowing Ben Gollings to slip down the blind side for the crucial score.
Advertisement
It has been an impressive debut tournament for Royle, who plays his club rugby for Fylde in the domestic fourth tier but has now been offered a trial by Gloucester, the Guinness Premiership club. It is a triumph for Ryan’s scouting network: if Royle had not been recommended by Bill Beaumont, the former England captain whose son plays for Fylde, he would have been playing at home against Harrogate on Saturday instead of being cheered on by 40,000 in Dubai.
“He’s got the big one against Preston Grasshoppers soon,” Ryan said. “They might get 3,000 to that. Considering two weeks ago most of this team were playing in the mud, they’ve done very well here.” He was optimistic for the rest of the season. “A semi-final is not a bad achievement,” he said. “We are all pretty fresh, everyone’s fit and we’ll try to climb on in George.”