Australia put the disappointment of their desert reign-ending defeat in Dubai on the opening weekend of the HSBC SVNS Series with a gold-wrapped unbeaten run to the Cape Town title.
Isabella Nasser and her team-mates had the upper hand over arch-rivals New Zealand throughout the gold-medal match to lift the trophy as the sun went down.
France had earlier claimed a podium place in South Africa for the third tournament in a row, with a thrilling comeback win over USA, after Japan had left it late to beat Canada for the third time in two tournaments and the second time in two days.
Final: Aussie all-gold
A 60m Maddison Levi try — her 15th of the HSBC SVNS Series so far — early in the second period was the highlight as Australia avenged their final defeat in Dubai with a high-intensity 26-12 victory over New Zealand in the gold-medal match in Cape Town.
Heidi Dennis had set the tone with a try in the second minute, benefiting from some ferocious work at the ruck from Madison Ashby. Teagan Levi added a second score for Australia a minute later, and Isabella Nasser on the stroke of halftime to take the score to an astonishing 19-0.
Levi extended Australia’s lead with the second half barely underway. But the Black Ferns weren’t about to give up their Cape Town title without a fight. Kelsey Teneti and Stacey Waaka hit back in two minutes, and Jazmin Felix-Hotham was denied by some never-say-die defence with the seconds ticking down.
Player of the final Nasser said afterwards: “We hurt last week when we lost against the Kiwis. But we put it all out there today and I’m so proud of every single one of the girls. It was a big squad effort.
“The crowd brings it. We soak in the energy and the atmosphere — it’s absolutely amazing.”
A clearly delighted Ashby added: “Cape Town is one of the best tournaments out there. We spoke about winning the 50-50 moments and we did that out there. Thank you so much, Cape Town!”
Bronze final: France claim dramatic third Cape Town podium finish with late try
France ripped the bronze medal out of USA’s hands on the final play of a thrilling match, with the clock in the red. Aelig Tregouet scored the crucial try after USA conceded crucial late penalties as Les Bleues won 15-12 to claim a podium finish in Cape Town for the third year in a row.
Earlier, Les Bleues had taken an early lead against defending Cape Town champions New Zealand — but could not stop the Black Ferns Sevens marching into their second final in a row in the new HSBC SVNS Series — and their ninth straight — in as many tournaments with a comfortable come-from-behind 19-7 win.
In the second semi-final, Maddison Levi touched down four times to send Australia into a second final meeting with New Zealand. Heidi Dennis and Bienne Terita also scored as they racked up a ninth win in a row over USA. Levi’s last came in added time at the end of the second half, taking the score to 34-7.
Play-off places: Japan win thriller to bag fifth
Japan came from behind in dramatic style with a try from Yume Hirano to beat Canada 12-10 in the fifth-place play-off final, their third win in a row over the Olympic silver medallists, and their second in Cape Town alone.
Japan had set-up another meeting with Canada in the fifth-place play-off final, Marin Kajiki scoring two of their five tries in a 25-7 win over Great Britain.
Earlier Asia Hogan-Rochester scored a hat-trick as Canada weathered a mid-match Fiji storm to claim their place in the fifth-place final with a 33-14 win over Fiji in the opening match of the day.
A hat-trick for the remarkable Reapi Ulunisau sent Fiji on the way to a 43-7 victory over a game and determined Great Britain in the seventh-placed play-off final.