New Zealand Wins Kitakyushu Sevens

“New Zealand won the women’s Kitakyushu Sevens for the second straight year Sunday, beating France 24-12 in the final on another disappointing day for host Japan,” as reported in an article in The Japan Times. “While the Black Ferns were treating fans at Mikuni World Stadium to another wonderful display of rugby”, the Sakura Sevens finished “12th and last after losses on Sunday to the United States (34-14) and Canada (33-14)”.

“The Black Ferns — who opened the day with a 50-0 thumping of China before downing Australia 17-12 in a repeat of last week’s Commonwealth Games final — were forced to dig in deep to beat France in a thrilling final,” reports the article.

“I love Japan, I love the people, love the food and love this tournament. It’s a special occasion and we did well last year so it’s good to back it up this year,” said New Zealand coach Allan Bunting.

“Playing in its second tournament in a week, Bunting praised the resilience of his team.”

“It’s a measure of how well you are doing sometimes, to win and then win again. But it is difficult and the players will be looking forward to some rest now.”

“The quality of attacking skill” was the biggest difference between Japan and the other teams, Japan captain Chiharu Nakamura told Kyodo News.

Article Source: Japan Times, April 22, 2018

Image Source: Twitter – Black Ferns