Rugby World Cup Sevens: Black Ferns Dominate, Repeat As Gold Medalists
It was an exciting day of Rugby World Cup Sevens action as the men’s and women’s sides competed at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California. New Zealand won the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens by defeating France, 29-0 in the championship game. Furthermore, Australia defeated the United States in the third-place game to win the bronze medal.
With a late try before halftime, the Black Ferns took a 15-0 lead into the short, two-minute intermission. New Zealand took advantage of a France penalty to extend its lead by five. A 10-0 deficit at half isn’t impossible to come back from, but a 15-point deficit requires at least three scores even with successful conversions. In the end, New Zealand prevented the French attack from earning a try or racking up any points on the board.
In the end, France’s women’s rugby team should be pleased with its performance. It upset a historically successful Australia team that is usually in the final round of action. Instead, Australia had to settle for a bronze medal this time around.
While the United States didn’t make the championship game, they impressed by being the only team to score against the Black Ferns at the Rugby World Cup Sevens event. In fact, the United States led 14-12 at the half but New Zealand came back and played their own game in the second half to win, 26-21.
The bronze match was not pretty for the United States against Australia as it dropped a 24-14 result. However, the United States’ rugby sevens side should be proud of how they played in front of its home fans. It’s an honor to host an illustrious event like the Rugby World Cup Sevens and it shows how much the sport has grown within the States. Likewise, the United States reached the semifinals for the third straight Rugby World Cup Sevens that featured a women’s tournament.
For New Zealand, this is the second straight Rugby World Cup victory. The worst result for New Zealand at a Women’s World Cup is a second-place finish which it achieved in 2009 when it fell to Australia in the final. This year’s New Zealand squad dominated throughout the tournament and its program’s culture (men’s and women’s teams) is the main reason why they consistently succeed on the field.
All in all, the action was exciting to watch and showed how rugby continues to grow. The men’s tournament wraps up on Sunday as there are 24 teams in that side of the action. The women’s tournament only features 16 teams currently. However, don’t be surprised if the women’s Rugby World Cup Sevens event grows in the coming years as well.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
