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Black Ferns Sevens beat arch-rivals Australia to win SVNS League title
By Finn Morton
The Black Ferns Sevens have beaten arch-rivals Australia 31-21 in Singapore to not only claim their fourth Cup final triumph in a row but to also secure the coveted SVNS Series League title.
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New Zealand’s slow start to the 2023/24 season in Dubai, Cape Town and Perth seems like a long time ago now with the reigning overall Series champions going on a stunning unbeaten run.
Captain Risi Pouri-Lane has lifted various trophies at SVNS stops in Vancouver, Los Angeles, Hong Kong China and now Singapore to edge Aussie in a thrilling race for the League crown.
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Australia were the form team from those first three events, including a win in Dubai which saw them end New Zealand’s then-41-game unbeaten run. Those heroics haven’t been forgotten.
New Zealand and Australia were locked equal on 106 overall competition points coming into the campaign’s final regular season event which is what made Sunday’s Cup final so intriguing.
Two trophies were up for grabs for the victor, and it was New Zealand skipper Pouri-Lane who triumphantly hoisted both on the back of a Jorja Miller masterclass in the 10-point win.
“It definitely feels pretty good. We always want to go to battle with the Aussies in the final,” Player of the Final Jorja Miller told RugbyPass.
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“To go out there, get the win, have a pretty decent performance, I’m pretty happy.
“To go into Madrid with confidence and knowing that we’ve built from the start of the season off the back of LA, Vancouver into here,” she added.
“We’re gonna go home, put some work in and hopefully bring it out in Madrid.”
Miller didn’t get on the scoresheet in the decider but it was clear for all to see how important the rising star was. Whether it was in attack, defence or at the breakdown, Miller was everywhere.
The 20-year-old contributed heavily to Portia Woodman-Wickliffe’s try in the 14th minute but was noticeably important in various other attacking phases too as the youngster pinned the ears.
Michaela Blyde got the part start with a try inside the first minute and the Olympic gold medallist went on to complete a hat-trick. Stacey Waaka was New Zealand’s other try scorer.
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Australia’s Maddison Levi was of course on the scoresheet not once but twice – a feat which is becoming more common than not – but the second half was dominated by the women in black.
While the Black Ferns Sevens continued to celebrate their SVNS League title, Miller stepped away and was asked about the secret behind her ascent in the world of rugby sevens.
“Honesty, I don’t know,” she said with a laugh. “The girls call me a ‘tin a**’ and I get it but honestly when a gap opens up I’m just going for it regardless of the overlap.
“If the girls are yelling, if I see half a glimpse I’m gonna take it.”
Catch up on all the latest SVNS Series action from the 2023/24 season on RugbyPass TV. SVNS Singapore is free to watch, all you need to do is sign up HERE.
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