New Zealand won the Japan Sevens final 26-12 against Australia at a soggy Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium on Monday. Trailing 12-7 at halftime with a player in the sin bin for violent conduct, New Zealand rallied in the second half scoring three unanswered tries to come away with the victory.
"The win was particularly satisfying for us as we had a few injuries and had to use some of our more inexperienced players in the final," said Gordon Tietjens, the New Zealand coach. "We had three tough matches today and to we needed to win today to get back to the top of the table in the series after losing in the final in Malaysia last week," he added.
Tietjens singled out final MVP and captain Karl Te Nana for special praise for his performance while stressing that the victory had been a collective effort.