Fiji held off a desperate Samoan finish to claim a 19-14 victory in the all-Polynesian final of the New Zealand round of the IRB Sevens World Series yesterday.
It was a throwback to Fiji’s former glory days as they showcased their full artillery of sevens weaponry to counter the strong Samoans, with overhead and no-look passes as well as scooping the ball off the ground one-handed.
The win lifted Fiji to within four points of the series leaders New Zealand, who won the first two rounds in Dubai and George, South Africa, before falling to Samoa in the semi-finals yesterday.
Samoa have moved up to third place ahead of England, who were beaten by Fiji in the semi-finals, with Australia fifth.
The final was locked at 7-7 at halftime after Jiuta Lutumailagi put Fiji in front in the opening minute and Mikaele Pesamino replied for Samoa with a clever kick-and-chase move midway through the half.
Samoa, without veteran playmaker and captain Lolo Lui, who was suspended following a dangerous tackle in the semi-final against New Zealand, appeared to lose their way against the Fijian artistry for most of the second half.
Tries by Emosi Vucago and Osea Kolinisau saw Fiji race to a 19-7 lead, before the Samoans regrouped with a minute to go and fought back with a second try to Pesamino and they were pressing the Fiji line again when the final hooter sounded.
New Zealand, who proved unbeatable in the first two tournaments, came to a shuddering halt in their home tournament semi-finals when they were unable to master the power and speed of Samoa.
The Samoans, who were rarely stretched in pool play on Friday, struggled to a 14-12 victory over Kenya in the quarter-finals and trailed New Zealand 5-7 before their passing clicked and they raced to a dominant 24-14 victory.
Fiji were the form side from the start.
They backed up their impressive unbeaten run through pool play with a 21-5 win over South Africa in the quarter-finals, before disposing of England, tournament winners in Wellington last year, 28-19 in the semis.
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