Blitzboks fall at the final hurdle in Sydney as rampant New Zealand crowned champions

A dominant performance in which they never relinquished control handed New Zealand an emphatic 38-0 win over the Blitzboks in the final of the Sydney Sevens.

Both sides started the final nervously, with several knock-ons stopping any attacking momentum.

New Zealand opened the scoring in the 3rd minute with a long-range effort in which Roderick Solo stepped two South African defenders to gallop away and score a converted try under the posts for a 7-0 lead.

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Joe Webber then scored a second as he crashed over from a scrum close to the Blitzboks’ line.

Akuila Rokolisoa added the conversion for a 12-0 lead.

That became 17-0 at half-time after Sam Dickson got over in the right-hand corner well after the hooter had sounded.

South Africa would need a monumental effort to get back into the encounter, but New Zealand kept control by starving the Blitzboks of any meaningful possession.

When South Africa did launch a promising attack from deep, they were undone by a knock-on which snubbed out any momentum they had hoped to build in search of their first score.

New Zealand had a chance to put the match to bed when they launched a break out from their try-line, but Rokolisoa knocked on with no South African defenders in sight.

New Zealand put the Blitzboks under immense pressure from the resulting scrum, allowing Rokolisoa to kick through, collect and score.

He added the extras as New Zealand opened up a 24-0 lead with just two minutes left in the final.

New Zealand’s domination continued as Amanaki Nicol scored a converted try soon after for a 31-0 lead.

They ended the match with their sixth try through Ngarohi McGarvey-Black after the final hooter for an emphatic 38-0 victory.

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