Fiji and Australia won the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens in the men’s and women’s categories, respectively, at an electric Cape Town Stadium at the weekend.
The Fijians defeated New Zealand 29-12 in the final en route to their third World Cup Sevens triumph and their first in 17 years as the famous side continues to add accolades to their already impressive resume.
Fiji too strong
Men’s World Rugby Sevens Series winners Australia fell short to the Fijians in the semi-finals as a five-try performance from the Olympic gold medallists powered the side into the final.
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Meanwhile, in the women’s category, Australia continued their global dominance of the sport by adding the World Cup Sevens to their Commonwealth gold medal, and their World Rugby Sevens Series title already won this year.
Maddison Levi was on hand with a hat-trick for the Australians, who narrowly defeated trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand 24-22 in the final to claim their first World Cup Sevens since 2009 in Dubai.
Australian star Charlotte Caslick said the team used inspiration from the 2009 team to power their side to another achievement in 2022.
“We spoke a lot about the 2009 girls today, doing it for them and everyone back home who has left the legacy before us so we can continue it on,” said Caslick.
Promising Ireland showing
Ireland’s men performed magnificently on their way to a first bronze since the semi-finals of 1993 as they defeated a solid Australian side and hosts South Africa on their way to an impressive achievement.
France took bronze in the women’s event with a commanding 29-7 win over the USA, as Lili Dezou ran in two tries on a dream starting debut for her country.
Argentina and Fijiana took fifth place in the men’s and women’s categories respectively, which included Fijiana’s 53-0 destruction of Canada – the highest winning margin in the tournament.
The tournament saw the end of an era for South Africa as men’s coach Neil Powell stepped away from the role after nine years. Despite a seventh-placed finish, the Powell era was the most successful in the history of sevens rugby in the country.
England won the men’s Challenge section whilst Uganda beat Germany to claim the Bowl. At the same time, Japan won the Women’s Challenge final thanks to a stunning second-half comeback against Poland.