Australia’s world collection champions have roared into the quarter-finals of the Hong Kong Sevens whereas consigning New Zealand’s rugby males to an unprecedented early exit.
The Australians discovered their finest kind in a winner-takes-all pool stage match on Saturday, working in 4 tries to beat their trans-Tasman rivals 24-17 and guide a last-eight date with Eire.
It meant a ragged-looking New Zealand outfit failed to achieve the knock-out levels of the sevens circuit’s premier match for the primary time and it was solely the second time in 21 years they’d didn’t make the quarter-finals of a world collection occasion.
Australia, who sealed the final world collection in August in Los Angeles, needed to ship their finest after they’d earlier misplaced their different group match 22-17 to Samoa, the match’s shock packets who’d additionally hammered New Zealand on Friday.
It raised the surprising prospect of the 2 group favourites having to face what was successfully a knock-out tie within the day’s closing match on the Hong Kong Stadium.
Coach John Manenti’s Aussies began brightly as Jimmy Turner burst on to the ball for a advantageous opening attempt within the first minute.
After Moses Leo had put the All Blacks again in it, a Dietrich Roache snipe down the precise wing restored the Australians’ management earlier than some particular person magic from Maurice Longbottom noticed him shuffle, feint and energy his technique to a 3rd attempt.
The New Zealanders’ destiny was successfully sealed straight after the break with Nathan Lawson’s interception rating, with late tries from Sione Molia and Leroy Carter not camouflaging one other sub-par efficiency.
Earlier, Samoa had adopted up their 24-0 win over New Zealand with their slim win over Australia, for whom Henry Hutchison, Henry Paterson and Darby Lancaster all scored tries.
5-time defending champions Fiji nonetheless regarded the staff to beat as they topped their group unbeaten to arrange a blockbuster quarter-final with South Africa’s ‘Blitzboks’, who scraped by way of regardless of dropping to France.
The opposite quarter-finals will characteristic Samoa in opposition to Argentina and the unbeaten French versus the USA.
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