Double the Win in Sevens Tournament Finals
New Zealand has completed a “remarkable sweep of rugby’s major global titles” this week with the men beating England 33-0 at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow to win the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens, and the women’s team conquering Canada in their final 29-12. New Zealand now owns the men’s and women’s world 15s and sevens titles, an unprecedented feat. The results ensure the New Zealanders will be favoured when rugby returns to the Olympics in sevens form in 2016 at Rio de Janeiro. The International Rugby Board said on 12 June that the next edition will take place in five years’ time in order for the tournament to be integrated into the Olympic cycle. World series champion New Zealand joined Fiji as the only two-time World Cup winners, 12 years after its first title. “It is awesome, a long time between drinks since 2001,” New Zealand coach Gordon Tietjens said. “We got that buzz going today. We talked about this buzz and we adapted to the conditions well, and the game plan was executed so well. It was an awesome performance. I am in a bit of disbelief really.” New Zealand beat defending champion Wales 26-10 in the quarter-finals and Fiji 17-0 in the semis. That match was halted and the teams left the field midway through the first half because of the thunderstorm, with New Zealand up 12-0. When they resumed, New Zealand scored a third try straight away to lead 17-0 by halftime, and gave Fiji little room to move in a scoreless second spell.
