Rain Doesn’t Dampen NZI Sevens

Organisers were thrilled with the 2011 NZI Sevens and are praising the tournament as one of the best.

Although the rain set in on day two, crowd spirits were not dampened and overall NZI Sevens fans were well behaved. NZI Sevens General Manager, Steve Walters, said, “The fans this year were fantastic. We are very lucky with the support and energy they bring to the NZI Sevens, making it the unique stop it is on the HSBC Sevens World Series.”

A number of new initiatives were introduced this year, including the official NZI Sevens cheerleaders and a team of waterboys. Over 1500 cups of free water were handed to fans during the two days of the tournament.

Walters added, “It was great to see the cheerleaders and waterboys embraced by so many fans. We aim to step up the experience every year and 2011 has been no different.”

To top off the tournament, New Zealand won the Cup Final against England to be crowned NZI Sevens champions. It has been three years since they last claimed their home title and they ran away with the game, outscoring their opponents by five tries to two, including a Declan O’Donnell hat-trick to secure a 29-14 win. O’Donnell had an impressive tournament, topping the try scorers’ board with a total haul of ten tries over the two days.

New Zealand and England are now tied at the top of the HSBC series table on 64 points, as they both head to Las Vegas for the fourth stop on the circuit.

Other winners on day two of the NZI Sevens included Fiji who won the Plate over South Africa 26-12, while Kenya had a convincing 19-0 win over Tonga to win the Bowl and the United States were the first winners of the day, beating France 19-12 in the Shield Final.