March 29 - 2014 NZ win Hong Kong Sevens

Going into the 2014 Hong Kong Sevens (28 – 30 March) the New Zealand team was travelling well without being as dominant as they were at the World Cup Sevens in Moscow the previous June. They had won two (Australia and New Zealand) of the six legs of 2013-14 World Rugby series that had been held and had finished fourth at the Japan Sevens played the previous week.

At Hong Kong New Zealand got through pool play and their quarter-final comfortably, but had to work harder to subdue Australia 19 – 7 in the semi-final. Their finals opponents, as at the World Cup, were England and once again New Zealand were clear cut winners, 26 – 7 as against 33 – 0 in Moscow.

New Zealand results:

March 28:

v Scotland Won 33 – 0. Kaka, Stowers, Heem, McKenzie, Curtis tries. Kaka (2), McKenzie (2) con.

v Samoa Won 26 – 7. Stowers, Lam, Forbes, Dickson tries. Kaka (3) con.

March 29: v USA Won 17 – 7. Heem (2), Lam tries. McKenzie con.

March 30:

v Wales (Qu.fin.) Won 28 – 5. Lam, Curry, Kaka, Mikkelson tries. Kaka (4) con.

v Australia (s. final) Won 19 -7. Kaka (2), Mikkelson tries. Kaka (2) con.

v England (final) Won 26 – 7. Lam, Mikkelson, Forbes, Dickson tries. Kaka (3) con.

New Zealand carried their good form from Hong Kong into the next two tournaments, winning both the Scotland and England Sevens in May. Canada (54 – 7) and Australia (52 – 33) were the beaten finalists. As a result New Zealand won the international series for the fourth successive year.

There was though disappointment to come at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July. This was the fifth games at which rugby sevens had been played and New Zealand had been the gold medal winner at the previous four. But at Glasgow they had to settle for silver, beaten 12 – 17 by South Africa in a tight final.