Playing with far more freedom and accuracy, the All Blacks Sevens have won the Plate final in Las Vegas with a 27-7 victory over Japan.
The New Zealanders, not much more than two hours after an extra time win over Argentina in the Plate semifinal, played soundly, easing to a 15-0 halftime lead and finishing with five tries to one.
Former skipper DJ Forbes led the way with a double, but again it was Sam Dickson and current captain Tim Mikkelson who shouldered much of the workload.
Forbes now has 136 tries in the World Series over his decade-long career, but he had Mikkelson to thank for his first score, and then he spun out of a tackle for his second.
New Zealand went the direct route most of the time, and that freed up space. Lewis Ormond's try was a prime example of this strategy. Beaudein Waaka iced the victory with a 70m solo try in which he exhibited a sweet in and away move.
