New Zealand have survived a big Argentina comeback to win the World Series sevens cup final 22-12 in Los Angeles this afternoon.
It means they have defended their Los Angeles title from last year and extend their lead at the top of the series table.
The All Blacks sevens appeared virtually untroubled in cruising to a 17-0 halftime lead via their usual physicality at the breakdown and ability to punish an opponents’ mistakes.
Moses Leo outstripped Argentina speedster Marcos Moneta for New Zealand’s first try – he had the angle on one of the quickest men in the game – with Leroy Carter scoring from a simple scrum move near the end of the first half.
A New Zealand mistake allowed Argentina to make inroads and threaten their line after the halftime hooter, but rather than play it safe the All Blacks sevens attacked and it paid off with Carter, named man of the match, showing his pace to score on the right.
Argentina began the second half in much better shape, winning and retaining possession, and they made New Zealand pay with tries to Tobias Wade and Agustin Fraga narrowing the gap to 17-12.
As the clock ticked down, it appeared the All Blacks sevens could have been punished for a fumble by Joe Webber after a promising break by Akuila Rokolisoa, but in the end they controlled the game superbly.
An Argentina mistake from the re-start off Fraga’s try allowed New Zealand to choose a scrum in the middle of the field to use up more time, and they simply retained possession for the remainder, a display of accuracy and composure which resulted in a try for Brady Rush.
It was New Zealand’s fourth cup final this season and the victory allowed them to gain revenge for their reverse against Argentina, who qualified by beating Fiji 20-17 in their semifinal, at the same point in Hamilton in January.
New Zealand stormed into the final on the back of a 33-17 semifinal victory over Australia. Earlier they beat Great Britain 24-12 in their quarter-final.
It meant they didn’t pay a price for their pool loss to Samoa on the first day of the tournament yesterday.
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