An extraordinary last gasp try by Michaela Blyde has carried the Black Ferns Sevens to a Cup final victory in Kitakyushu over Canada.
It is their third Cup final victory in four events and extends their World Series lead by 10 points from Australia, who are faltering in their series defence.
Composure under pressure and fitness were crucial for New Zealand, who came under real pressure from a Canada side that had played some tremendous playoffs sevens on day two, blanking Russia and Australia. But their senior player Jen Kish will be kicking herself. She scored an early try but also lost the ball across the line for another and then shelled a kickoff with just 40 seconds to play which allowed New Zealand back in the game.
Niall Williams scored an opportunist try, her fifth of the weekend, and then Portia Woodman, voted the player of the final, even though she was often starved of the ball, scored a 60m try, her seventh. But it looked like Canada would hold their narrow 14-12 lead until Blyde's try, which included two vital passes by captain Sarah Goss and Kelly Brazier.
"That was real hard because Canada have been on point all day," says Woodman. "We're buggered, lungs are hurting, legs are gone."
