Wellington Sevens: New Zealand Rout Fiji in Final to Win Sixth Title

A strong start saw New Zealand comprehensively beat their arch-rivals Fiji in the final of the Wellington Sevens by 24-7, winning the event for the sixth time.

The men in black stormed out to a 24-0 lead at halftime after a rampant display that saw them almost impossible to shut out. Tomasi Cama and DJ Forbes touched down for a try each while the star of the tournament, Frank Halai, bagged a double.

After the break New Zealand took a more conservative approach, playing territory and looking to smother the Fijian attack on defence. And they succeeded, in one of the great defensive efforts, holding Fiji out until the final minute when Waisea Nayacavelu was able to cross for Fiji's only try.

But it wasn't all plain sailing for the home side, who were given a fright by England in their semifinal. In fact, at one stage it looked as though they would be doing well to make the final, trailing 12-0 at the break after a mixture of sloppy attack and poor defence saw England grab two tries.

Although it would have been foolish to write off New Zealand, who came storming back in the last three minutes of the game with tries to Charles Piutau and Hosea Gear helping them draw level. A Frank Halai try in extra time was enough to complete the comeback, ensuring New Zealand would progress.

On the other side of the draw, Fiji breezed past Samoa in a one-sided semifinal, but it was in the quarterfinals where they would get their scare, fighting out a close battle with South Africa and only gaining dominance in the final minutes.

Tonga and Canada both provided surprises by topping their pools, each advancing to the Cup quarterfinals, with Tonga going on to play South Africa in the Plate Final. Such efforts are big achievements for two minnows of the sevens circuit, and show how the game has grown.

Frank Halai was the star of the tournament, using his combination of size, speed and strength to score six tries during the tournament, and proving to be an important attacking weapon for New Zealand. 

The usual suspects of DJ Forbes, Tomasi Cama and Tim Mikkelson also had influential tournaments, while Solomon King showed how much he has improved and justified his starting position, all combining to help New Zealand to their win.

The World Series now moves to Las Vegas where the teams will do it all over again, where more points will be on offer for the overall prize.