Fiji triumph as Irish win surprise bronze

FIJI made it four wins on the bounce in the Sevens World Series, overcoming South Africa 21-17 in a tight encounter at Twickenham last Sunday.

The Pacific Islanders are now seven points clear of South Africa at the top of the overall standings with just this weekend’s Paris tournament remaining.

Fiji are in the driving seat to win a third World Series in four years, thanks largely to a remarkable run of form in the second half of the season that has seen five wins in the past six competitions.

England had to settle for fourth place after defeat to Ireland in the bronze medal match. Ireland, an invitational team playing in their first World Series event since 2004, proved a surprise package, enjoying an incredible run of results that culminated in a 21-19 victory over the hosts.

England beat Australia 21-17 in the quarter-final but were unable to overcome South Africa in the semi-final, losing 29-19.

On day one in the pool stages, England beat France 34-0, went down 14-31 to the USA before finishing with a 38-12 win against Kenya, who scooped the tournament's remaining piece of silverware, beating Wales 33-19 to win the Challenge Trophy.

Head of England Sevens Simon Amor, said: “It was incredibly frustrating as there were times when we really played some great rugby – we attacked well, we defended well, but there were also times we got it quite wrong.

“That shows where we’re at with with some young guys coming in and some coming back from injury.”