The New Zealand women’s sevens rugby team made it three from three today with a comfortable 26-7 defeat of France this morning to seal their quarter-final spot.
For New Zealand, there were tries to Kelly Brazier, Huriana Manuel, Portia Woodman and Kayla McAlister and Tyla Nathan-Wong converted three of them.
New Zealand led 14-0 after three minutes and had already effectively put the game beyond France’s reach. By halftime, New Zealand led 19-7.
Experienced back Shakira Baker said the New Zealanders were wary of France’s ability to offload.
“We knew we had to be extra tight on ‘D’,” she said. “We just needed to communicate well and get organised.” Baker said the New Zealand team had improved with each outing in Rio, which augurs well for the afternoon quarter-final.