Australian women’s rugby sevens team still lead world series standings despite loss to New Zealand in Los Angeles final

The Australian ladies’s rugby sevens staff has fallen within the remaining of the Los Angeles event, with arch-rival New Zealand claiming back-to-back titles to shut the hole atop the world collection rankings.

Rugby Sevens

World Sequence ladies’s standings (after spherical 5)

1: Australia — 90 factors2: New Zealand — 863: France — 744: United States — 645: Canada — 626: Eire — 487: Fiji — 428: Nice Britain — 29

The Australians misplaced 29-14 however retained a four-point lead over the Kiwis within the standings after 5 of eight rounds.

Michaela Blyde was the match-winner, scoring three of New Zealand’s 5 tries in opposition to Australia’s two.

New Zealand additionally gained the title per week in the past in Vancouver the place Australia completed fourth, with the 2 main nations favoured to battle for the gold medal at this yr’s Paris Olympics.

They’ve collectively gained 4 out of the 5 tournaments performed to date this season.

New Zealand suffered an early setback within the remaining when younger gun Jorja Miller was carried from the sector on a stretcher after an incidental leg to the top making an attempt to sort out Bella Nasser.

However they nonetheless managed to open the scoring via Blyde.

Australian captain Charlotte Caslick hit straight again after capitalising on a break from Sharni Smale, just for Blyde so as to add her second with a fantastic solo effort.

The ladies in gold have been dealt a blow late within the first half with their celebrity Maddison Levi yellow-carded for a excessive shot and New Zealand taking a 12-7 lead into the break.

They pushed that out to 22-7 with tries to skipper Risi Pouri-Lane and Portia Woodman-Wickliffe.

Levi returned to attain a long-range attempt with three minutes remaining nevertheless it wasn’t sufficient, with Blyde’s third attempt icing a convincing Kiwi victory.

“I am so happy with the women,” Blyde stated.

“We have been in search of that type of consistency over the entire season so to try this over the previous two weeks feels good.

Rugby Sevens

World Sequence males’s standings (after spherical 5)

1: Argentina — 90 factors2: Eire — 703: Fiji — 644: France — 565: Australia — 556: New Zealand — 537: South Africa — 488: United States — 36

“Clearly we’re constructing for the large image of the Olympic Video games so this is among the stepping stones in direction of it. I suppose the large ask is to proceed this consistency. It is onerous to be on the prime.”

Within the males’s remaining, France beat an injury-hit Nice Britain 21-0 to say their first title within the rugby sevens world collection in 19 years.

The presence of 15s star Antoine Dupont has energised the France staff who’ve moved up from seventh to fourth place on the general standings forward of their dwelling Olympics.

Australia’s males completed seventh after downing the USA.

AAP