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New Zealand double up at Singapore sevens / Photo: Roslan RAHMAN - AFP
New Zealand double up at Singapore sevens
New Zealand secured double glory at the Singapore Sevens on Sunday as they emerged victorious in both the men's and women's tournaments.
New Zealand's men held off a determined challenge from Ireland to win 17-14 while their women's team surged to a 31-21 victory over Australia.
New Zealand raced into an early 10-0 lead in the men’s final with tries by Leroy Carter and Fehi Fineanganofo but Gavin Mullin narrowed the deficit for the Irish just before the interval.
Dylan Collier restored New Zealand's 10-point cushion in the second half but Harry McNulty's response set up a tense finale with the All Blacks holding on for their second series win in a row after their success at Hong Kong last month.
Argentina were crowned men's series winners after they recovered from a 10-point deficit to beat South Africa 14-10 in the fifth-place playoff.
The South Americans won tournaments earlier this season in Cape Town, Perth and Vancouver to top the table with 106 points, two points ahead of the second-placed Irish.
Great Britain bounced back from a heart-breaking 15-12 extra-time loss to Ireland in the semi-finals to trounce Australia 29-7 in the third-place match.
The result saw GB leapfrog the United States for eighth place in the league standings and secured their status as a core team in next season’s World Series.
Argentina, Ireland and Great Britain will be joined in the sevens series grand final in Madrid later this month by New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, France and South Africa.
The United States, Spain, Samoa and Canada finished outside the top eight and will face four teams from the challenger series in a promotion-relegation event in Madrid to determine next season's core teams.
In the women's tournament, New Zealand clinched top spot in the standings after a hat-trick of tries by Michaela Blyde helped them to a convincing victory over arch-rivals Australia.
In a clash between the top two teams, the Black Ferns trailed 14-5 late in the first-half but scored four consecutive tries to pull away and win their fourth straight tournament after victories in Vancouver, Los Angeles and Hong Kong.
France finished third in Singapore and in the standings after a 29-7 victory over Fiji.
J.Hall--SMC
