Wellington Sevens: NZ steal it at the death
Despite the narrow loss, in which some serious questions will be asked about the refereeing, the BlitzBoks go top after three legs of the World Series.
Coming back from 0-14 and 7-21, the Kiwis certainly have reason to celebrate – although the performance of referee Matt O'Brien, a New Zealander plying his trade out of Australia, left a lot to be desired.
As was the case when these two teams met in the final match of pool play on Saturday, the Kiwis only managed the winning score after the hooter for full-time had already been sounded.
Earlier New Zealand completed dominated England, overpowering them with brute force, to win 25-5, while South Africa's rock-solid defence saw them demolish Fiji 31-0 – a result which allowed the BlitzBoks to overtake the Pacific Islanders at the top of the World Series standings.
Fiji claimed third place, and valuable World Series points, with a 24-12 win over England.
Australia won the Plate with a 21-5 victory over Argentina in a scrappy game, where create play was in short supply and the referee's egotistical whistle dominated the proceedings.
Samoa scored two turnover tries in the second half to claim the Bowl title, with a 19-7 win over a hapless Scotland team in an error-strewn Final.
France did enough to see off Russia 14-7 and retain the Bowl title they won in Wellington last year.
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Cup Final – New Zealand 24-21 South Africa
Some wonderful work by Juan de Jongh set up the BlitzBok captain Philip Snyman for the opening try. Rosco Spekman then found space behind the Kiwi defence with a well-placed kick, setting up a five-metre scrum for South Africa. The scrum became a free kick and Specman's quick tap-and-go resulted in the BlitzBoks scrumhalf getting the second try.
The errors continued to mount for New Zealand, but a fortuitous pass – which appeared to float forward – allowed Akira Ioane to get the Kiwis on the board. Ioane then pulled off a try-saving tackle metres from his line, as the BlitzBoks took a 14-7 lead into the break.
It was another New Zealand error that allowed Francois Hougaard to pounce on a loose ball and send Seabelo Senatla over for South Africa's third try – and all-important first try in the second half – less than two minutes into the second half.
A contentious yellow card by referee Matt O'Brien, a New Zealander working out of Australia, gifted the Kiwis the space for Rieko Ioane in for a try. The penalties now started mounting against the BlitzBoks.
Rieko Ioane got his second and New Zealand's third, as the penalties continue to mount and the Kiwis closed the gap to 19-21.
The contentious calls also continued to come, with Joe Webber getting the winner well after the hooter for full-time had sounded.
Third-place play-off – England 12-24 Fiji
Osea Kolinisau opened the scoring in the third minute, after the Fijians used brute force to break down the England defence. Both teams made far too many errors, as they seemed intent on outmuscle the opposition, rather than use finesse. Alex Davis eventually got England on the board, as they realised it is better to avoid the collisions.
Savenaca Rawaca scored in the last play before the break, from a long kick downfield, as Fiji took a 14-5 lead into the break.
The second half started with the referee blowing a concerto of penalties, but England managed to move the ball into space and Tom Mitchell sprinted over for the try that got England back in the game. However, Fiji finally put their famed skill on display as Pio Tuwai sprinted over for a crucial try with just under two minutes remaining. Tuwai got a second soon after to seal the victory and allow Fiji to collect some valuable points on the World Series standings.
Plate Final – Argentina 5-21 Australia
Santiago Alvarez benefitted from a fortunate bounce of the ball and the failure of the referee to go for a video reference, to open the scoring. However, Gregory Jeloudev pulled one straight back for the Aussies. Alvarez was then yellow-carded for kicking the ball away and Boyd Killingworth was left unmarked on the right as Australia made their numerical advantage count – making it 14-5 at the half-time break.
Los Pumas continued to make costly mistakes and coughing up penalties after the break, not that the Aussies were flawless.
Tom Lucas sealed the win with a try inside the final minute, ensuring the Aussies will take some silverware across the Tasman Sea.
Bowl Final – Scotland 7-19 Samoa
Phoenix Hunapo opened the scoring in an error-riddled first half, while Scotland saw a number of scoring chances go to waste through poor 
execution – leaving the Pacific Islanders with a 7-0 lead at the break. Tomasi Alosio stretched Samoa's lead three minutes after the break, as the error-prone Scottish team continued to cough up possession. Danny Tusitala put the seal on the win with a third try inside the final minute. There was just enough time for Gavin Lowe to get a consolation score for the Scots.
Shield Final – France 14-7 Russia
Steeve Barry picked up at the base of a ruck, after a good weaving run from Julien Candelon to score the game's first try. Moments later the 35-year-old Candelon crossed the line himself as the French took a 14-0 lead into the break against a visibly tiring Russian team. Russian eventually got on the board two minutes from time, Vladislav Lazarenko getting the score as the French started to make errors. However, it was too little, too late as the French held on for the win.
Source: @rugby365com
