The Black Ferns and All Blacks Sevens were "stoked" to both win bronze in Birmingham, but they're also ready to redeem themselves at the upcoming World Cup.
After a tough loss to Australia in the semi-finals, Black Ferns captain Sarah Hirini didn't get much sleep but says she was glad to overcome Canada.
Following the loss, they stayed in the team bus, singing songs and reflecting on what had just transpired. Having their families present helped them to regroup quickly ahead of the bronze medal match.
"It feels a lot nicer than yesterday," Hirini said.
"We knew we had to move on quickly and being the leader I knew I had to do that for the team. So it was all about beating Canada and I'm just bloody stoked we did."
Hirini and Portia Woodman both spoke about the need to improve their connections on the field and are optimistic they can do that heading into the World Cup in September.
"We're going in as defending champions into a World Cup so I'd love another one," Hirini said.
The All Blacks Sevens players felt much the same after their victory.
"We're always gunning for gold but it was good to finish strong and to be up on the podium is always a special moment especially at the Commonwealth Games," Moses Leo, who scored in the bronze final, said.
Leo mentioned that the coaching and management staff reminded them to think about why they're wearing the black jersey to inspire them to get back on track after losing to Fiji in their semi-final.
Sam Dickson was pleased to bounce back from the loss.
"She's been a tough couple of hours to be honest. I'm so proud of the way the boys came out and pulled ourselves together," Dickson said.
His side's determined effort through their Commonwealth Games campaign gives him confidence they can do better in the future.
"We showed glimpses in that Australia game. I thought we were really good in that game and in the first half of that Fijian game. We were up 14-0 and we put up 20 odd points against Australia. We're close and when we put it together, watch out because we'll go all the way."
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