New Zealand's men's sevens team had to overcome trans-Tasman rivals Australia in a tough final pool A match today, eventually hanging on to win 14-12.
That locked them in for a quarter-final tonight against Canada.
It was hard going for a time as the Aussies dominated the first half, their physicality proving too much for New Zealand, They led 12-0 at halftime with tries to Samu Kerevi and Nick Malouf.
However, a strong break down the left led to a try for Dylan Collier in the first minute after the restart. New Zealand then took the lead, ironically when down to seven men with Collier in the sin bin.
Andrew Knewstubb then sped through a gap between two defenders to cross and convert.
“The Aussies definitely took it to us in that first half,’’ said New Zealand player Amanaki Nicole.
‘’We had to do a pretty big job in the second half. We just tried to stay composed. We were told we needed to cherish the ball a bit more and to use it when we have it.’’
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