publish time

29/08/2022

author name Arab Times

publish time

29/08/2022

CARSON, California, Aug 29, (AP): New Zealand beat Olympic champions Fiji 28-21 in the final of the Los Angeles rugby sevens tournament Sunday immediately after Australia clinched their first World Series title, a championship decided in the penultimate match of a season which began nine months ago.

Australia, winners of the 2022 world rugby sevens series, pose with the trophy following its presentation at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif. (AP)

Several teams were in the hunt for the title when the last tournament began and new potential winners emerged as fortunes changed over two eventful days. South Africa entered the tournament atop the World Series standings but only two points clear of Australia. When South Africa were twice beaten in the group stage - by the United States and New Zealand - they missed out on the quarterfinals of the elite Cup division and Australia’s chances of claiming the world title increased.

South Africa would have remained in contention if they achieved their best possible finish of fifth place and if Australia failed to win a medal. But the South Africans again were beaten, this time by Wales, to miss out on a playoff for fifth. Australia’s 29-10 loss to Fiji in the Cup semifinals kept three teams in contention for the title. Australia needed to beat Samoa in the bronze medal playoff to secure it, while Fiji needed to win the final and for Samoa to win the bronze and South Africa needed both Australia and Fiji to lose their medal matches.

Finally, a confident and well-drilled Australia team beat Samoa 31-7 to take third place in the tournament and join their national women’s team who already are World Series champions. Australia is just the fifth nation after Fiji, New Zealand, South Africa and Samoa to win the men’s World Series title. Australia won only two legs of the world series, but also had two silver medals, two bronze and a fourth placing. Each team’s best seven results across nine tournaments were counted toward the final standings.