Rugby·Recap

New Zealand wins back-to-back men's Rugby World Cup Sevens titles

New Zealand's men's rugby sevens team retained its Rugby World Cup Sevens title and completed a Kiwi sweep in San Francisco after defeating England 33-12 on Sunday.

Men's, women's both successfully retain crowns

New Zealand's men's team celebrates after successfully defending its Rugby World Cup Sevens crown. (Jeff Chiu/Associated Press)

SAN FRANCISCO — New Zealand's men's rugby sevens team retained its World Cup title and completed a Kiwi sweep after defeating England 33-12 on Sunday.

Sione Molia scored a pair of tries, while Joe Ravouvou Akuila Rokolisoa and Trael Joass each added one apiece. Kurt Baker kicked three conversions and Scott Curry kicked one. Curry was named the AIG Player of the Final, while Ravouvou earned the UL Mark of Excellence Award.

Mike Ellery and Ruaridh McConnochie scored England's tries, with Tom Mitchell kicking one conversion.

New Zealand's women's team also repeated as champions on Saturday, defeating France 29-0. The country's men's and women's 15s teams are also the current World Cup title holders.

Intimidated yet? New Zealand does the haka after winning Rugby World Cup championship

6 years ago
Duration 1:07
New Zealand won the women's Rugby World Cup sevens championship, and wowed the crowd by doing the haka to commemorate their victory. Intimidated yet?

South Africa won men's bronze with a 24-19 win over Fiji.

Canadian men finish in 12th place

Canada's men's team wrapped up its tournament with a 35-12 loss to Wales. With the result, the Canadian team placed 12th overall at the tournament.

Canada at the Rugby World Cup 7s: A musical montage

6 years ago
Duration 1:31
Canada's men and women finished 12th and 7th, respectively, at the Rugby World Cup sevens tournament from San Francisco. Relive their journey with a musical montage.

Pat Kay and Isaac Kaay scored for Canada, while veteran Nate Hirayama left the pitch in the second half on concussion protocol according to Rugby Canada. Captain Harry Jones missed the final game due to a head injury assessment.

Earlier, the men's squad couldn't muster enough offence against Australia, losing 19-7 in the Challenge Trophy consolation semifinals.

Australia's sustained pressure with ball in hand put Canada on the defensive, while the team's physical play at the breakdown forced several turnovers in a messy match. Lucas Hammond scored the lone try for Canada, while Hirayama added the conversion.

Game wrap: Canada drops challenge semifinal to Australia at Rugby World Cup 7s

6 years ago
Duration 2:27
Trying to play their way into a top-10 finish, Canada faltered against a higher-seeded Australian team, losing 19-7 at the Rugby World Cup sevens in San Francisco on Sunday.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Benjamin Blum

Video Optimization Producer

Benjamin Blum is a video optimization producer with CBCNews.ca based in Toronto. He has also worked as a digital news producer and senior writer with CBCNews.ca covering an array of international and domestic issues. Previously, he was a member of the CBC Sports digital team with a particular focus on rugby. He holds a master's of journalism from the University of King's College in Halifax. You can contact him at benjamin.blum@cbc.ca.