* Play nzherald.co.nz's rugby Pick the Score competition - go to:
pickthescore.nzherald.co.nz
* Relive the carnival atmosphere at the Cake Tin - view our Wellington Sevens fans gallery
KEY POINTS:
Heroics are part and parcel of top sport and, in New Zealand's loss to England in the Wellington sevens last night, spare a thought for those of captain DJ Forbes - his courageous effort hijacked by a marvellous English comeback.
The skipper took the field to help his team through three difficult matches - a deathly 7-0 struggle with South Africa in the quarter-final; a stalemate broken when Lote Raikabula, unable to outpace the South African defence, pulled out a big fend and powered his way to the line; a 10-7 semifinal win over Argentina and the final.
Raikabula's effort was heroic enough - it was the only score in a tight match that had many reaching for record books and wondering aloud if there had ever been a 0-0 match at this level.
But the real heroism belonged to Forbes, who was carrying what was thought to be a hairline fracture in the lower leg.
He got through the games against South Africa and Argentina and he did a lot of work in the contact area, on defence and in taking the ball up - all tough contact work not exactly textbook treatment of a hairline fracture.
In the final, typically, Forbes drilled an Englishman trying to run out of defence, won the ball on the ground and then battered over the line for a brave try that got New Zealand out to 17-0 before England's Ollie Phillips scored a runaway to make the halftime score 17-5.
That try, against the run of play, was to haunt the New Zealanders, who finally came to the end of their run, plagued by injuries and mounting battle-weariness.
However, it looked originally as if the silky sevens skills of Tomasi Cama would come to the fore in the final. He threw two huge, ground-gaining passes to engineer the first try to impressive rookie forward Paul Grant.
And, if we're talking heroics, what about the chase by Tu Umaga Marshall on a flying, runaway Tom Biggs - 70m of desperation and pace which saved a certain try?
It was a 14-point effort because, from a penalty close to their goal-line, Cama led a counter-attack, Viliame Waqaseduadua and Save Tokula combined before Zar Lawrence finished a 90m move.
That broke England's nerve and they made several mistakes leading up to Forbes' try before Philips' own brand of heroics gave them a lifeline.
They grabbed it tightly, too, when Rob Vickerman hauled in a floating, inviting pass to score an intercept try to bring England back to 17-12.
Injuries affected both sides and there were many seared lungs and aching legs. Vickerman and Cama were sinbinned in the last minutes and the match finished six-a-side and in ragged style before a pulsating England move was finished in style by big Fijian Isoa Damudamu.
Maybe it was the quarter-final, a nerve-jangling contest between the two best teams on this year's circuit which really felt like a final that took the stuffing out of the Kiwis.
Raikabula crossed with only 1m 15s left on the clock, with most of the Westpac Stadium glued to the clash of the sevens titans.
Partying resumed once the final whistle blew and the shattered New Zealanders raised their tired arms. As sevens matches go, it was a chess contest, pitting the size of the hosts against the speed of the South Africans.
Referee Andrew Lees, of Australia, and a stickler for the rules, made the decisive call two minutes from time when he sinbinned Mpho Mbiyozo for a blatant foot trip on a stepping Raikabula. New Zealand had forward Grant also sinbinned for a professional foul moments before the end but South Africa's final attack faltered.
Injuries affected the New Zealand side over the two days of the tournament and Forbes was also at the heart of the pack against Argentina that also comprised relative newcomers Tu Umaga Marshall of Wellington and Otago's Grant.
As is nearly always the case these days, coach Gordon Tietjens cannot pick Super 14 stars - some of whom, ironically, have gained an extra pathway in their career thanks to Tietjens' sevens teams.
New Zealand shoved aside Argentina to set up the final in a manner easier than the scoreline suggests. The hosts and defending champions discovered their best form of a difficult two days in outclassing the previously unbeaten South Americans two tries to one. Argentina crossed for their sole try by Martin Rodriguez only in the final act of the game.
Victory was forged in the opening quarter as backs Lawrence and Nafi Tuitavake scooted over for long-range tries, taking advantage of lapses in an Argentine defence that had been one of the meanest on show.
The visitors rarely threatened from that point, their cause not helped by the sinbinning of Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino for a professional foul soon before halftime. Argentina, who boasted the most experienced team at the tournament and who beat the United States 24-14 in their quarter-final, found it hard to crack a New Zealand defence which improved markedly since their shock opening pool loss, 28-17 to Wales yesterday.
But they couldn't stop a rampant England and they will count the cost in points and bodies - experienced forward Edwin Cocker suffered an ankle injury against South Africa that ruled him out after that match and makes him an unlikely starter for the tournament at San Diego next week.
England hammered a tired Kenya 24-0 in the early semifinal, with impressive skipper Phillips scoring the first three of their four tries. Kenya ran out of gas after another crowd-charming campaign, having pipped Wales 10-7 in their quarter-final.
The English - who won their first Wellington title - were impressive, hammering Fiji 31-10 in their quarterfinal after going two tries down. Led by veteran playmaker Ben Gollings and the highly impressive Phillips, they romped past France and Canada in pool play yesterday but also went down 21-33 to Argentina.
