Akuila Rokolisoa in action for the All Blacks Sevens. Photo / Photosport
Follow the action from day one of the Hamilton Sevens.
When are the New Zealand team in action?
All Blacks Sevens: beat Tonga 45-0; beat Australia 21-19; beat Great Britain 19-12.
Black Ferns Sevens: beat Papua New Guinea 56-0; beat Fiji 27-0; beat Great Britain 20-0.
That’ll do it for today’s updates. We’ll be back tomorrow for finals day.
8:25pm- Black Ferns Sevens confirm quarterfinal spot
Two first-half tries to Michaela Blyde sparked the Black Ferns Sevens to a 20-0 win over Great Britain in the final match of the day on Saturday, booking the side’s place in the quarterfinals.
Impressively, the side went through pool play without conceding a single point, with some big defensive efforts keeping their opponents off the board. Like Blyde did against Fiji, Jazmin Felix-Hotham produced a stunning chase-down effort to prevent what looked to be a sure try for Great Britain, and the side absorbed periods of sustained pressure before adding two more tries late through Stacey Fluhler and Portia Woodman-Wickliffe.
They will meet Japan in the quarterfinals.
8:00pm - All Blacks Sevens confirm quarterfinal spot
With a 19-12 win over Great Britain in their final pool match, the All Blacks Sevens have finished at the top of their group in Hamilton.
Taking to opportunity to give several players a rest, it was a bit of a stop-start performance from the New Zealand side.
A Roderick Solo double in the first half gave the Kiwis a 12-0 lead at half-time, but Great Britain continued to fight and hit back early in the second half.
That prompted a move from the New Zealand bench as Joe Webber, Sam Dickson and Regan Ware were introduced to close the game out. Webber got on the scoresheet soon after to extend the lead, but it was Great Britain who had the last say, scoring just before the hooter sounded to reduce the gap to seven.
7:30pm - New Zealand teams to close the night out
Just two matches remain on today’s schedule, with the All Blacks Sevens taking on Great Britain before the Black Ferns Sevens take on, ah, also Great Britain to end the show until tomorrow morning. These final two matches will confirm the quarterfinal matchups.
A win for the men’s team will see them take on Ireland in what should be a very good game of footy. The women’s team will play the second-best third-placed team which, right now, could be any number of teams.
6:15pm - women’s quarterfinalists emerge
Australia, France, USA and Ireland are the first four teams to move into the quarterfinals of the women’s draw, with Australia and USA yet to drop a game.
It is starting to look very familiar in the women’s draw, with that pair and the Black Ferns Sevens setting the benchmark for the rest of the field.
5:15pm - more men’s quarterfinalists found
France have beaten Kenya in their final pool match of the day, sending Samoa out of the main draw for the knockout stages. Kenya pushed the French side, and ultimately ran out of time to complete their comeback as the French held on for a 26-21 win.
There are now six of eight quarterfinalists officially confirmed in the men’s draw: Fiji, France, South Africa, Argentina, Ireland and USA. Barring a blowout loss to Great Britain later today, the All Blacks Sevens will also qualify as they are yet to drop a match, while Tonga and Australia will face off with the winner moving on.
Michaela Blyde - “We don’t worry about the score”
As far as the Black Ferns Sevens are concerned, a win is a win and the margin is irrelevant.
That was the sentiment shared by Kiwi star Michaela Blyde following the side’s 27-0 win over Fiji earlier today - their second win to nothing in as many matches today.
It has been an impressive showing from the side who have welcomed back a number of key players for the first time in the 2022-23 campaign, executing their game plan well to stifle their opponents.
Blyde said as long as they were executing and coming away with the results, that was all that mattered.
“In all honesty, we don’t think about it,” she said of her side winning their opening two games to nil.
“Obviously we like to keep the score at zero, but it’s not something that is a goal. Our main focus is to make sure we go to our game plan as best as we can and win no matter how that looks; it could be ugly, it could be pretty.
“No matter who we come up against we treat it like a final, and obviously we have the energy of the crowd with our family and friends supporting us, so that’s a massive shift for us and the adrenaline kicks up a little bit.
“We’re not fussed about the score; it’s not something we think about when we’re on the field. It’s just about doing our jobs and our core roles, and executing those so we can hopefully get some wins.”
While the team’s attack has been impressive as ever in the early going in Hamilton, their defensive efforts have also turned heads. It was a physical encounter against Fiji, but the Black Ferns Sevens muscled up in the tackle and in trying to secure turnovers, while Blyde made the defensive play of the game when she chased down an opponent who looked certain to score.
Not only did she make the tackle, but she was quickly to her feet to secure the turnover - a play she credited assistant coach Ed Cocker for.
“He helps me with all those tips and tricks, and I finally pulled one off which is great.”
The Black Ferns Sevens will close out proceeding on day one in Hamilton, with the third pool match against Great Britain at 8:03pm.
4:23pm - First teams punch quarterfinals tickets; World No 1 likely to miss out
Samoa are unlikely to hold onto their position at the top of the men’s sevens world beyond this weekend’s event in Hamilton, with the likely to miss out on a spot in the quarterfinals.
Losses to Fiji and France in pool play mean the Samoans will be left hoping for Kenya to upset the French later in the day, otherwise they will be fighting for minor placings on Sunday.
Fiji, alongside South Africa, progress to the quarterfinals with an unblemished record, while Argentina has also progressed.
3:33pm - Black Ferns Sevens signal intentions
Through two matches of their campaign in Hamilton, the Black Ferns Sevens are yet to concede a point.
Following on from a complete performance against Papua New Guinea earlier in the day, the Kiwi side topped Fiji 27-0 in their afternoon clash to stamp their mark as the team to beat.
The Fijians made the New Zealand side work hard to put points on the board in a physical encounter that saw plenty of big hits being put on from both sides. It took a slick play from Risi Pouri-Lane to break the deadlock after just under three minutes of frantic football, while a try to speedster Michaela Blyde late in the half gave the hosts a comfortable 12-point lead at the break.
While Fiji continued to be physical on defence, the Black Ferns Seven side starved their opponents of possession and began to find areas to exploit. Jazmin Felix-Hotham, Stacey Fluhler and Sarah Hirini all crossed in the second half to put an imposing total on the board.
Through two games of the tournament, the Black Ferns Sevens have a points differential of 83.
3:00pm - All Blacks Sevens lose player to head knock
Moses Leo’s tournament is over after he suffered a head knock while trying to play the ball in the first half of the side’s opening match against Tonga. Leo, who scored the team’s first try of the tournament, got up groggy after being tackled, and took two attempts to find his feet. He was attended to by the team’s medical staff, and was taken from the field immediately.
He will take no further part in this weekend’s tournament.
2:32pm - All Blacks Sevens fend off Australia
The All Blacks Sevens needed all 14 minutes of their contest against Australia to secure a 21-19 win, with Australia twice taking the lead, forcing the Kiwis to fight back.
It was the New Zealanders who opened the scoring through Joe Webber, but after tries to Maurice Longbottom and a counter-attack strike from James Turner, the Australians held the advantage at the break.
The All Blacks Sevens took the lead back soon after the restart through Akuila Rokolisoa, but with the sides then trading tries, it was ultimately the boot of Rokolisoa that made the difference - his one successful conversion more than the Australians all that separated the sides when the final whistle blew.
1:45pm - The tournament’s first big upset
The current leaders on the men’s World Series standings have been upset in their second group match of the weekend, being outclassed by France 21-10.
Strong defence and a quick counter-attack saw the French side get one over on the Samoans, setting up a big final clash of the day for the current world No 1 against Fiji. Fiji have already secured a top-two finish in the group with wins over France and Kenya. It will come down to that final match of the pool with both France and Samoa a chance for a top-two finish, although France have the much friendlier draw.
In a lesser upset, World No 15 Japan beat 11th-ranked Uruguay 24-19 for their first win of the tournament.
Regan Ware - “I didn’t think I’d be good enough”
After taking to the field for his 50th tournament on the World Series in the All Blacks Sevens’ opening win over Tonga, Regan Ware admitted he had doubts about the longevity of his time with the national team.
The 28-year-old from Tokoroa made his debut in the World Series in 2015, and has since become a constant fixture of the New Zealand outfit.
Both he and Joe Webber are playing in their 50th tournament this weekend, and Ware said it was a milestone he was grateful to be able to achieve.
“It’s pretty crazy to think,” Ware said. “When I first started, I didn’t think I’d be able to stick around for 50 tournaments. I didn’t think I’d be good enough to stay around that long.
“It’s special that I get to spend this milestone with my family. It was awesome to be able to, after that first game and I’d achieved the milestone, just go out and see my kids in the crowd.”
Stacey Fluhler - “It’s been tough”
One of several members of the Black Ferns Sevens who has had to reintegrate themselves back into the environment after focusing on the 15-a-side game, Stacey Fluhler says it has been tough reverting back to the shorter format.
Fluhler, who has recently worked her way back from injury, scored three tries in the Black Ferns Sevens’ opening match in Hamilton this weekend as her side toppled Papua New Guinea 56-0, but says it was a good reminder of how taxing the seven-a-side game is.
“I was gassed,” he said after the match. “I’m so happy to be back.
“It’s been tough for me coming back from injury; my road back was slightly different to some of the other girls. I started with some recovery running and managed to join the team a couple of weeks ago for full contact.
“They say rugby’s just one sport, but I definitely feel there’s some differences between (sevens and) 15s.”
Fluhler says for a team who often start slow, it was good for them to get on the board within the opening seconds of their win over Papua New Guinea.
They will face a tougher task against Fiji (3:12pm) and Great Britain (8:03pm) later in the day, particularly given the crowd is likely to favour the Fijian side in that contest.
“There’s a sea of blue; it feels a bit like we’re in Fiji at the moment, but we know that. We know Hamilton always has a good crew of Fijian supporters, but we’ll pretend they’re all going for us and cheering for New Zealand.”
1:00pm - Fiji, Australia survive
Fiji and Australia were able to overcome tough challenges in against Great Britain and Japan respectively to open their campaigns in Hamilton.
Tied for No 1 in the standings with the Black Ferns Sevens, Australia found themselves behind early against the No 10-ranked Japanese squad before a late surge saw them claim a 26-14 win.
Fiji fought off a strong challenge from Great Britain in what was an enthralling contest, a late try to Adi vani Buleki making the difference in a 19-14 win.
12:03pm - Black Ferns Sevens put 56 on the board in first match
The Black Ferns Sevens have started their campaign without Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, with the star kept on the sidelines for their 56-0 first-round win against Papua New Guinea.
Woodman-Wickliffe, one of several players returning to the team after fronting for the Black Ferns in their World Cup campaign last year, was left off the team sheet for the opening match and watched on from the stands as her team ran rampant on the Papua New Guinea side.
It was Michaela Blyde who bagged the first try of the match inside the opening minute, as the Black Ferns Sevens stretched their opponents early. They were able to do this time and again with ease; Stacey Fluhler bagging a hat-trick, Blyde and Sarah Hirini both putting two on the board, and Shiray Kaka, Alena Saili, Jorja Miller also getting on the score sheet.
11:20am - We have a draw!
The French and Canadian Women’s teams have opened their campaign with a 12-12 draw; the Canadians with an impressive performance against the current No 4 team in the standings.
It was a surprise result in an otherwise expected slew of opening fixtures in the women’s draw, with USA (v Spain) and Ireland (v Brazil) claiming big wins.
10:35am - All Blacks Sevens impress in opener
The All Blacks Sevens toppled Tonga 45-0 in their opening match of the tournament, needing just 38 seconds to get the scoreboard ticking over.
Moses Leo was the first on the scoreboard, dotting down after a long run on the left wing. Tries to Regan Ware and Joe Webber extended the lead to 19-0 at the break, but Leo’s match was brought to an early end on the stroke of half time as he took a knock to the head while playing the ball and took two attempts to stay upright as he tried to get back to his feet. He was taken off the pitch for a head injury assessment but did not return.
It was more of the same for the Kiwis following the restart, with Roderick Solo and Ngarohi McGarvey-Black crossing early in the half. The scoring continued to be shared around when Brady Rush scored, before McGarvey-Black claimed his second try of the match on the full time siren.
It was an impressive showing from the event’s defending champions, as they look to cap off their final event on home soil in memorable fashion.
Argentina (v Spain), Ireland (v Uruguay), Samoa (v Kenya) and USA (v Japan) also claimed opening-round wins.
9:50am - Fiji start with big win
The Fijian men’s side were too good for France in their first match of the tournament, claiming a 26-10 win. It wasn’t the most consistent performance from the perennial contenders and the French showed their own abilities - particularly in their speed as they often chased down what looked to be breakaway tries for the Fijian side.
Ultimately though the skill of the Fijian side came up trumps as they were patient in possession and created some good tries.
9:40am - The men’s tournament kicks things off, with South Africa making an early statement in a 34-5 win over Canada.
This year will be just the second time the New Zealand stop has featured a full women’s tournament as well as the men’s event, with two fields being in use to accommodate the schedule of nearly 80 games across the weekend.
9:30am - The World Rugby Sevens Series has come to Hamilton for one last time before a reinvention of the tournament in the 2023-24 season will see fewer stops and, subsequently, no New Zealand dates on the calendar.
What a bright note to kick things off on, eh?
It’s a lovely day out at Waikato Stadium, though it is heating up very, very quickly. The stands are filling up nicely, with the familiar sky blue of the Fijian supporters everywhere you look.
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