Australia win Tokyo rugby sevens title
Australia came from behind to seal their first title of the current rugby sevens world series as Matt Lucas held his nerve to kick the conversion that sealed a thrilling 28-26 win over Samoa in Tokyo on Sunday.
The Australians had previously struggled in the sevens series – which is played over nine rounds at different venues – with a fourth-place finish in the opening round on the Gold Coast their previous best result.
Success finally came in dramatic fashion in the final of the seventh round in Japan.
Samoa, surprise winners over favourites New Zealand 17-12 in the semi-finals, were 26-21 ahead with four minutes left on the clock thanks to a Ken Pisi try and Lolo Lui’s conversion. But Australia skipper Ed Jenkins scored a timely try with 50 seconds left before Lucas won the game at the death.
“It’s a pretty young squad and we had an idea today that we should never give up until the final whistle, and we never gave up,” said Jenkins.
Lucas, competing in only his second tournament with the sevens, credited exhaustion with his telling kick.
“Being so tired probably helped, I had a clear mind and thankfully it went over,” Lucas said.
“To win the cup is something we’ve been striving for, there’s not much better than that.
“Twenty minutes is a long time in sevens and we just had to maintain our composure. We stuck to it and backed ourselves.”
Australia coach Michael O’Connor said the key to victory was “tenacity, determination and desire not to lose”. It is Australia’s first final win since May 2010, when they beat South Africa 19-14 in London on the 2009/10 circuit. “We’ve really come a long way, it’s not easy to win a cup final,” O’Connor said.
“It was an extraordinary final and I’m really proud of them.”
Australia’s run to glory included a 21-14 win over Wales in the quarters before a thumping 33-12 defeat of England in the semi-finals.
The result consolidates Australia’s No.6 ranking on the International Rugby Board’s overall sevens world series standings.
Australia have 84 points, while traditional powerhouses New Zealand (128) and Fiji (122) remain the series’ front runners after seven of nine tournaments.
South Africa (105) are third, one point ahead of England.
The series resumes in Scotland on May 5-6.
