KEY POINTS:
New Zealand have turned the 2007-08 international sevens rugby series into a one-team procession.
The Gordon Teitjens-coached side won their fourth consecutive tournament of the season in the United States yesterday, extending both their lead in the series and their winning streak.
They beat South Africa 27-12 in the final, their 36th win on the trot, after earlier in the day surpassing the record set by the 2001-02 New Zealand side who had registered 34 wins.
They now lead the eight-tournament series with 80 points. South Africa are second with 48, followed by Fiji 44, Samoa 44, Argentina 38 and Kenya 26.
With a 32-point lead, Tietjens said his team won't be sitting back in the second half of the series that kicks off with the premier Hong Kong tournament from March 28-30.
"You've got 30 points on offer in Hong Kong so you've got to keep working hard," Tietjens said. "We know what happened to Fiji last year. They sat back and got pipped by us in the last tournament. We have to keep going."
New Zealand have won every series bar the 2005-06 one won by Fiji, since the International Rugby Board launched the tournament in 1999.
Their march through the San Diego tournament was their boldest so far after wins in Dubai, South Africa and Wellington.
Tietjens believes his team hadn't been as dominant in the past as they have been this season.
They conceded their first points in the tournament yesterday when Fiji scored a consolation try in their quarterfinal. Even then the New Zealanders beat their traditional rivals 28-5.
Surprise semifinalist Kenya, who beat England 17-7 in the quarter-finals, crossed twice against New Zealand but were still blown away 50-10.
South Africa offered a bit more resistance in the final but were outscored five tries to two.
"It was a stop-start game (final), it didn't quite flow like we wanted and that's disappointing for the crowd but I thought we won well. We competed for the ball and stole a few balls off them," Tietjens said. He put his team's current success down to their hard work, the maturing of players like captain DJ Forbes and Steven Yates and the emergence of powerful 20-year-old Victor Vito.
"This team has come very close together. I'm sure they want to go all the way after being unbeaten until the halfway stage. Defence is a big part of our game. We pride ourselves in that. We try to do the basics well first."
Fiji, in a rebuilding phase, are finding life difficult after Waisale Serevi.
Tietjens expects the Fijians, South Africa and England to come out strongly in Hong Kong.
South Africa's strong defence in the final lasted for five minutes of the 10-minute first half.
Then experienced New Zealand players Zar Lawrence, Lote Raikabula and Tomasi Cama tightened the game, committed several opponents in a tackle to put Edwin Cocker away for the opening try.
After South Africa lost Frankie Horne to the sinbin for a spear tackle, Vito and Forbes finished off attacks to extend New Zealand's lead to 17-0.
South Africa came back, scoring a try on either side of halftime, but Lawrence and then Forbes crossed to wrap up the tournament.
- NZPA
