By Fidelis Sukina – EMTV News, Port Moresby
The Fiji Airways Fiji Men’s Sevens team successfully defended their title at the ANZ Stadium in Suva, Fiji, and remain the Oceania Rugby Sevens Champions after defeating the All Blacks Sevens team in a thriller 17 points to 12 in sudden death.
Fiji is currently ranked second in the HSBC World Sevens series standings, just behind South Africa.
Fiji scored a total of 135 points in the Oceania Rugby Sevens tournament in their five games and only conceded 19 points, beating Solomon Islands 47-0 Papua New Guinea 35-0, New Caledonia 38-0 Samoa 36-7 and New Zealand 17 to 12.
In the final match, the teams looked evenly matched but with the home crowd behind them, and the rain just clearing for the pinnacle event, the winds were in the favor of the home team as they denied New Zealand the current Rugby World Cup Sevens and Commonwealth Game Champions a win in Fiji.
