Black Ferns set to make themselves at home
Playing on home turf is likely to become an annual gig for the Black Ferns sevens with World Rugby poised to announce the new cycle for the World Sevens Series in the coming months.
New Zealand’s champion women’s sevens team made history this weekend by making their competitive debut on home soil at the Hamilton Sevens, winning the inaugural fast four tournament after flattening France 31-0 in yesterday’s final at FMG Stadium Waikato.
Douglas Langley, World Rugby Sevens Series director, said ‘‘there is a very good chance’’ New Zealand would host a women’s sevens event running concurrently with the men’s when the next four-year cycle for the World Series begins in 2020.
In a repeat of last year’s Sevens World Cup final, the Black Ferns faced the French. Michaela Blyde and Shakira Baker crossed with Stacey Waaka scoring her second hat-trick in two days to sign off a memorable weekend in style.
With participation falling among New Zealand’s schoolboys offset by the rapid increase of girls playing rugby, a World Sevens Series event at home is the least the Black Ferns deserve after winning the World Cup and Commonwealth Games in 2018.
‘‘New Zealand are interested in a combined event with 16 men’s teams and 12 women’s teams,’’ Langley said. ‘‘It has to over two days, but that’s aligned with some work we’re doing for what the tournament format should be in the new cycle.’’
New Zealand Rugby chief executive Steve Tew has expressed their interest in hosting a women’s event during New Zealand’s leg of the series in the 2020-23 cycle, but there are some logistical hurdles to overcome. This season, Dubai and Sydney were the only cities scheduled to host men’s and women’s event concurrently across three days.
For New Zealand to add a women’s event, Douglas said it would have to be played in two days. He said an announcement on the next format of the World Sevens Series was due in March or April.
Hamilton’s contract run outs this year but the city’s future as hosts looks healthy after another successful and vibrant event, as well as a sold out finals day. Men:
Cup quarterfinals: Fiji 33 Canada 7, South Africa 28 Samoa 17, New Zealand 24 Australia 17, USA 19 Scotland 14. Semifinals: Fiji 29 South Africa 7, USA 17 New Zealand 7. Bronze medal: NZ 24 South Africa 7.
Final: Fiji 38 USA 0.
Women’s fast four final: NZ 31 France 0.
Meanwhile, the New Zealand men were sent tumbling out of the semifinals for the second year running after a sloppy 17-7 defeat to the United States.
The hosts were unbeaten after beating Australia in the quarterfinals but mistakes and poor discipline were costly as USA pulled clear in the second half.