Australia’s long reign as Dubai champions was emphatically halted as arch-rivals New Zealand outworked and outmuscled them to win gold in the desert for the first time since 2019.
Since the Black Ferns Sevens’ last title on the other side of the global pandemic, Australia had won five titles in a row, gone 32 games and 2,185 days unbeaten in the desert.
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New Zealand claimed a first Dubai title since 2019 with a fast-and-furious, no-quarter performance to beat Australia 29-14.
Stacey Waaka got the scoreboard moving at the end of a long lungbuster of a first set in defence and attack for both sides.
Australia had their chances, but were uncharacteristically untidy at the breakdown, giving their opponents two early chances that they were never going to turn down.
And Kelsey Teneti got their second, after another ball was spilled in the tackle by the defending champions.
Player of the final Jorja Miller got the first of her brace in the first half, as New Zealand headed into the break 17-0 ahead.
An Australian comeback already seemed unlikely, and only got harder as Risi Pouri-Lane scored New Zealand’s fourth straight after the break.
Heidi Dennis scored two either side of Miller’s second in the second half as proud Australia refused to give up without a fight, but they had left themselves too much to do after that first period. Not even a yellow for Jazmin Felix-Hotham changed the flow of the game.
Miller said afterwards that gold ‘means everything’.
“Dubai is probably the favourite stop of the series, so to get the win over a strong Australia side, I’m so proud of the girls.
“We knew we had to [come out fast],” she added. “We knew that if we let them get an inch, they’d take it.”
Bronze final: Japan set new mark with a first podium place
Japan signed off the opening tournament of the new season in style with a first-ever podium finish in an HSBC SVNS tournament, as they beat Fiji 22-12 to take bronze in Dubai.
Sakura Mizutani, Hana Nagata, Sakurako Yazaki, and Mei Ohtani all scored, while Atelaite Ralivanawa got two for Fiji.
Mizutani said immediately afterwards that Japan were looking to continue their improvement in Cape Town next weekend. “We just [want to] keep challenging every game and do our best,” she insisted.
Japan had earlier been unable to replicate their Dubai day one heroics in their semi-final — only their second ever — against New Zealand. Honoka Tsutsumi’s late try was their consolation after Mahina Paul had scored two of the Black Ferns Sevens five tries to win 31-5
The remarkable Maddison Levi added another two to her rapidly rising try tally as tournament favourites Australia beat Fiji 31-10, their fifth win in a row over the Pacific Island side.
Play-offs: USA win decisive meeting of Paris Olympic medallists
Proof, if it was needed, of how difficult the relentless new HSBC SVNS format is, came early on day two in Dubai, as 2024 Olympic Games silver medallists Canada faced the bronze winners in Paris, USA, in the fifth-place decider.
The match that followed was as intense, as back-and-forth as you’d expect. Level at halftime, after Canada had taken an early lead, USA went ahead early in the second half, before their neighbours to the north hit back. But Sarah Levy had the last word, to win it 19-14 for USA.
Despite beating New Zealand on en route to two victories on day one, USA had missed out on the semi-final places by the narrowest of margins. Instead, they were in the running for the minor places. They kicked off with a demonstration outing against a very green Great Britain side. Ariana Ramsey scored four of their seven tries in a 49-14 victory.
Stunned by Japan 24 hours earlier, Canada doubled their win tally in Dubai with a victory over winless France 19-12 in the second fifth-place semi-final.
Les Bleues, however, finally turned on the style in their final outing in the desert to break their duck. Alycia Christiaens and Kelly Arbey scored two apiece as they beat Great Britain 46-5 to give their morale a major boost on the quick turnaround into next weekend’s tournament in Cape Town.