Jorja Miller has again produced an inspirational performance to help the Black Ferns to another Vancouver World Series sevens cup final victory over Australia.
The Black Ferns sevens have ruled at this tournament over the years and their 24-17 victory over Australia continued their dominance over their close rivals. But they had to work hard for the win after racing to an early 12-0 lead.
Tries for Jaymie Kolose, who moments prior lost the ball on the line, and Miller, who earlier won two penalty turnovers, put their team out to a handy lead, before Maddi Levy hit back with a try just before halftime for Australia.
A Katelyn Vahaakolo try after a Miller break from deep in New Zealand’s territory gave the Black Ferns a 17-5 lead but the Aussies quickly struck back via Levy again and Mackenzie Davis to tie the score at 17-17 with two minutes remaining.
However, with 30 seconds left, the Black Ferns, hit by injuries over the past few days, again had the answer. Stacey Waaka made a break down the right and crossed the line before sending a risky wide pass in-field to Alena Saili who scored the converted try to seal it.
The result continued New Zealand’s excellent record on the artificial pitch against Australia at BC Stadium and lifted their lead over their rivals on the series’ points table.
The news was not as good for the New Zealand men’s team, who finished seventh after losing to Argentina, eventual winners South Africa, and Spain.
The men are third overall behind Fiji and South Africa – just ahead of Australia.