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New Zealand win big against Australia, Fiji beat Kenya in Singapore Final
By Finn Morton at National Stadium, Singapore
New Zealand and Fiji are this season’s title-winners at the HSBC SVNS Series stop in Singapore after outclassing tough opposition in Sunday’s Cup Finals. In the final round-robin events of the season, these teams stood tallest ahead of the winner-takes-all World Championship.
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For the Black Ferns Sevens, their dominant 31-7 win saw them go back-to-back as champions in Singapore, having beaten Australia in both the 2024 and 2025 deciders. New Zealand were also crowned league winners for the second season in a row.
It wasn’t as one-sided for Fiji in the Men’s Cup Final, who didn’t take the lead until midway through the second half. But a late flurry of tries saw the traditional SVNS Series heavyweights home 21-12 against a valiant rival.
As the New Zealand national anthem echoed through the Singaporean venue, Michaela Brake appeared especially emotional. Then there were the likes of Jorja Miller and Sarah Hirini, who stood tall and smiled as the Black Ferns Sevens swayed as one.
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New Zealand versus Australia is the most prolific match-up in women’s history, and you could feel the anticipation for the decider as the rivalling sides turned their focus towards the upcoming kick-off, which was taken by Risi Pouri-Lane.
In the second minute, Brake showed trademark elusiveness and speed while racing more than half of the field to the house for the score. Pouri-Lane converted the try, and the goal-kicker helped the Black Ferns Sevens extend their lead even more with a five-pointer soon after.
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It was a real ding-dong battle that followed. It was tense as neither team backed down from the challenge on defence, and it seemed for quite some time that New Zealand would take their 12-nil lead into the half-time huddle.
Enter Maddison Levi.
Faith Nathan broke into New Zealand’s 22 and offered a switch pass for Levi, who took the try-scoring opportunity with both hands on the stroke of the half. With first-time captain Tia Hinds converting the score, the Aussies only trailed by five points.
To start the second half, Paris Olympic gold medallist Jazmin Felix-Hotham delivered a moment of magic to extend New Zealand’s lead to beyond a converted try. Felix-Hotham ‘soccer’ kicked the ball downfield, and put her boot to the ball again, before regathering to crash over.
Kelsey Teneti was next to score for the Black Ferns Sevens, with the 15s-bound talent running onto a brilliant pass before racing away untouched down the field. Pouri-Lane added the extras to make it a 24-7 game in New Zealand’s favour.
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Teneti came within inches of scoring again only moments later, but reigning World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year, Levi, pulled off a sensational try-saving tackle. Levi made a tackle, held the ball up and then stole possession, all with Australia’s try-line within reach.
Brake completed the incredibly dominant win with one last try late in the piece. The decorated try-scoring machine even stepped up for the conversion – doing enough to send the ball between the posts from in front.
“We hate losing to each other, so we’re very competitive at home but in a loving way. We don’t let each other off easy,” Brake told reporters.
“When it comes to training it’s almost like we’re playing against another country and every training that we do at home and we try to continue that pressure and competitive each day.
“When it comes playing on the World Series we bring that same competitive nature against other countries.”
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In the men’s decider, Kenya’s fairytale run in Singapore led them all the way to the Final where they were met by a red-hot Fiji side. Kenya last made a Final on the SVNS Series in 2018, not including the COVID pandemic-disrupted 2021 season.
Kenya had beaten Ireland, France and Spain on their way to the big one. As for Fiji, they have knocked off SVNS Series league winners Argentina in their semi-final earlier on Sunday with what was simply a clinical performance.
Fiji went down a man early in the big dance, with Sevuloni Mocenacagi sent to the sidelines for a two-minute sit down. The Fijians didn’t panic or waver in their confidence, though, as they kept a confident Kenyan side quiet until they returned to their full seven-man contingent.
But Kenya wouldn’t go into the break without a score.
After a clever kick upfield, Nygel Pettersan Amaitsa gave it everything as he chased after the ball. Fortunately for Kenya, Amaitsa won the race by diving onto the loose ball within the in-goal to score before also converting the try.
But it didn’t take long for Fiji to level the scores at 7-all. Viwa Naduvalo crossed one minute after the break, with Sakiusa Siqila nailing the conversion from in front to make it anyone’s game once again.
Naduvalo had the crowd cheering once again in the 11th minute as the 2022 Rugby Sevens World Cup winner dove over the try line – quite spectacularly – to give Fiji the lead for the first time.
Rauto Vakadranu scored the team’s final try in the 12th minute as Fiji, and while Kenya hit back with a late score of their own, time wasn’t on their side as Fiji held on for their second title of the season.
“The Kenyan team was coming very hard, they are a good side too and physical,” Fiji’s Tira Wilagi Patterson told reporters.
It was so tough.”
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