Both reigning Olympic champions turned on the style to take top honours at the HSBC France Sevens in Toulouse on Sunday as Fiji and New Zealand claimed the men’s and women’s titles respectively.
Ireland played some impressive rugby to reach their first-ever men’s Cup final, but in the final the Fijian, off the back of gold in Singapore and silver in Vancouver, were too strong, ultimately running in five tries to win an entertaining final 29-17.
Fiji’s Tevita Dagunu said: “Teamwork in defence and attack was what this victory was built on. We kept the ball well and stuck to our game plan. To all the Fijians around the globe, this win is for you.”
Fiji’s Waisea Nacuqu was awarded HSBC player of the final and he said: “Ireland played well, but we worked hard to win.”
After a breathless three days of superb rugby sevens action, it is Argentina, who finished fifth in Toulouse, who are now top of the men’s Series standings after seven rounds with 118 points with two events to go.
Long-time leaders South Africa are second on 116 after a frustrating time in France while Australia is third on 110 and Ireland fourth on 88. After this win, Fiji is now fifth on 87 points after missing out on rounds three and four played in Spain due to the effects of the pandemic.
New Zealand’s women won their first title since Sydney in 2020 when they defeated 2022 Series champions Australia 21-14 in a thrilling final.
Head coach Cory Sweeney, who claimed his first title since taking on the role said: “It is a proud moment and an emotional moment for us all.
“After Langford, we worked on a few things, had some awesome training sessions and we put that into practice this week.”
HSBC player of the final Sarah Hirini said: “I love this squad, I have amazing teammates and we will enjoy this moment.”
Australia took some consolation in receiving the 2022 Series trophy, which they had already secured following victory in Langford earlier in the month, and finished top of the standings with 80 points following a consistently top class season.
France was second on 60 points, Fiji was third also on 60 points and Ireland, also on 60, just missed out on a top-three finish due to a weaker points difference. New Zealand, who missed part of the series due to Covid concerns, finished fifth overall on 57 points.
The unique rankings points system for the COVID-19 affected 2022 Series saw only the four best results from each team count towards the final standings.
Despite some spirited performances, including an outstanding victory over England on Saturday, Brazil finished the Series in the relegation position as the 11th core team.
