New Zealand has taken first blood in the SVNS Championship, with rugby sevens staying firmly in their grip after a 19-14 win over Australia in the Hong Kong final. The Black Ferns Sevens struck early and held on in the closing moments at the 50th anniversary of the event. The result puts New Zealand two points ahead on the overall ladder with two events left in the leg.
Fast start sets the tone
The final turned quickly after Mahina Paul crossed in the third minute, and Jorja Miller added another try two minutes later to give New Zealand a strong early platform. Skipper Risi Pouri-Lane converted both tries, and the Black Ferns Sevens were in control before Australia settled into the contest.
Australia answered through Isabella Nasser in the sixth minute, then kept pressing as the match tightened. Kelsey Teneti added an unconverted try in the ninth minute, and the gap widened again after half-time when a yellow card to Teagan Levi for a dangerous tackle in the air gave New Zealand a chance to push away. Kelsey Teneti used that opening to build a 12-point lead right after the break.
Australia pushed late, but the finish belonged to New Zealand
Australia did not fold. Bella Nasser cut into the lead before the break, and Maddison Levi scored with seconds remaining to keep hope alive for Tim Walsh’s side. Tia Hinds added her second conversion, and Australia then forced an error, but it came seconds after the siren.
That final sequence ended the match and sealed another New Zealand victory in rugby sevens. The two sides have now met in every decider of the circuit this season, with New Zealand collecting six titles and Australia one across that run. The Hong Kong final was the seventh trans-Tasman final of the season in as many events.
Immediate reaction and wider picture
The New Zealand camp arrived with momentum and left with a stronger Championship position. In the context of the two-point lead on the ladder, the win matters beyond one trophy, because it changes the shape of the race with Valladolid next and Bordeaux after that.
The Black Ferns Sevens have now won all four finals at the event since the women’s series arrived there in 2023. Their dominance in rugby sevens at this stop remains intact, and the latest result again underlines how narrow the margins are when these two teams meet.
What comes next
The SVNS World Series now moves to Valladolid in late May, before the title is decided in Bordeaux a week later. Australia still has time to close the gap, but New Zealand carries the edge into the last two events, and rugby sevens now heads to Spain with the Championship race still very much alive.
