VANCOUVER — In an exciting conclusion to the Vancouver Sevens, Argentina triumphed over South Africa to secure the men’s championship, while New Zealand claimed the women’s title after defeating Fiji on Sunday. This event marked the fourth round of the rugby World Sevens Series.
Argentina showcased a dominant performance in the men’s final, with Luciano Gonzalez scoring two tries in the first half. Shortly after the break, Tobias Wade extended Argentina’s lead to 19-0. However, South Africa fought back with tries from Quewin Nortje and Siviwe Soyizwape, narrowing the gap. In a crucial moment, Gonzalez seized a vital turnover that cemented Argentina’s victory at 19-12. This victory marked Argentina’s fourth consecutive title in Vancouver and their first triumph over South Africa in six encounters in the finals.
Captain Santiago Mare expressed his pride in the team’s achievement, stating, “I’m very happy, very proud of my team. All the team, all the staff, and all the work we do here to finish on top. I don’t know what it is about this city and this stadium, but we are very happy to stay here and play rugby here.” With this win, Argentina moved to the top of the season standings with 68 points, followed closely by Spain at 64 points, and both Fiji and South Africa with 62 points each. In the playoff for third place, Spain triumphed over Fiji with a score of 22-7.
In the women’s final, New Zealand decisively defeated Fiji with a score of 41-7, displaying a formidable performance throughout the match. Leading 22-0 at halftime, New Zealand’s early tries came from Risi Pouri-Lane and Manaia Nuku, taking advantage of a temporary disadvantage for Fiji due to a player in the sin-bin. Additional tries from Stacey Waaka and Georgia Miller ensured a comfortable lead at the break.
Michaela Brake continued to set records by scoring the first try of the second half, marking her 10th try of the tournament and extending her all-time World Series record to 264 tries. Fiji managed to score with a try from Sesenila Donu, but New Zealand responded with further tries from Maia Davis and Mahina Paul, solidifying their dominance. New Zealand’s captain, Sarah Hirini, shared her enthusiasm for returning to Vancouver, saying, “It would be one of our favorite spots. It’s nice to get the win here again. We don’t take our Fijiana sisters lightly, and we must congratulate them on reaching a pretty cool Oceania final.”
In the women’s standings, Olympic champions New Zealand lead with 76 points, followed by Australia at 70 points and France with 52 points. Australia earned a third-place finish in Vancouver, and the host nation, Canada, secured a victory against the United States, winning 27-10 in the seventh-place playoff.
