Jorja Miller celebrated her 22nd birthday in style as New Zealand beat Australia in an HSBC SVNS Series showpiece match for a third time this season to claim a four-point lead in the league table.
Despite the 29-7 scoreline, their final victory was not as dominant as their win last week in Singapore, as defending champions Australia put up a real fight — but two tries either side of the break for Player of the Final Kelsey Teneti handed the Black Ferns Sevens an advantage they were never going to give up.
An emotional Teneti told Rugbypass TV pitchside immediately after the final: “It’s more than just a game. We carry our wahine and our country on our shoulders, so to go back-to-back really means a lot.
“We know Australia are an amazing team. It can go either way, but we just tried to the basics right. We’re literally just sisters!”
And captain Risi Pouri-Lane said: “We’ve been coming here three years now, and had some heartbreaks over those years. To still turn up even when it’s hard, even when you’re hurting, even when it’s been a long tour. I’m really proud of the girls.”
Stacey Waaka added: “It’s been three years in the making for this win, so we’re stoked to finally get that one.
“It’s been an awesome tournament because we have lots of family in the crowd, so we treat it like it’s our home crowd. We’re just really proud of the girls and their efforts to pull through, [they’re] such a young team. I’ll be a part of that ‘youngness’ too, even though I'm one of the older ones!”
Final: New Zealand take HSBC SVNS lead with first-ever win in Perth
Heidi Dennis opened the scoring as hosts and defending Perth champions Australia got off to the better start at HBF Park in the 34th final meeting between the two sides, and the fourth in as many tournaments this season.
But the Black Ferns Sevens, looking for their first-ever final victory in Perth and back-to-back titles after their victory in Singapore last week, had the advantage at half time after Risi Pouri-Lane took full advantage of a hard-running Jorja Miller break, and Kelsey Teneti danced and wove her way to the line just before the break.
Teneti streaked away from her own 22 early in the second half to extend New Zealand’s lead with Katelyn Vahaakolo touching down with 90 seconds remaining to settle matters before Alena Saili put the finishing touches to a 29-7 win on the buzzer.
Hosts Australia hit the final with a 26-5 win over a game USA side. Maddison Levi scored twice, while Heidi Dennis and Madison Ashby weighed in with a score apiece.
Jorja Miller moved on to 98 international career sevens tries with a double, while Katelyn Vahaakolo scored two in as many late second-half minutes as New Zealand extended their winning streak against France to eight matches, booking their place in the Perth final with a 34-14 victory.
Bronze final: France strike late to win hard-fought USA battle
Les Bleues got off to a flying start to claim their second bronze-final victory over USA this season, picking up a pair of seven pointers through Anaick Konyi and Marie Dupouy in the opening two minutes.
Cassidy Bargell hit back for USA midway through the first-half, and veteran Sammy Sullivan scored the try that levelled the scores early in the second.
Hawa Tounkara got France ahead again with less than a minute remaining of a lung-busting second half to settle the game at 21-14 and leave USA to contemplate a third fourth-place finish in four tournaments.
A second-half double for Fancy Bermudez and Eden Kilgour’s after-the-hooter score confirmed Canada’s fifth-place finish in Perth, as they beat Japan 36-5.
Olivia Apps had earlier scored the pull-away try in seven for the Canadians to decide a thrilling, end-to-end encounter against Fiji 26-19.
Japan had kicked off day two with a comfortable 29-7 win over Great Britain. Chiaki Saegusa scored two of their five tries.
Five tries in the first half — the first straight from kick-off, and the third directly from the restart — and two more in the second ensured Fiji finished their Perth weekend on a positive note as they beat Great Britain 41-5 to claim seventh.