In eerily similar fashion to the Madrid Sevens two years ago, the Black Ferns blew a 12-point lead with two minutes remaining.
Ahead 26-14, Faith Nathan pulled a try back for Australia after a heroic run by Isabella Nasser.
Australia then secured a lineout and, from halfway with 20 seconds left on the clock, Kaitlin Shave busted clear and scored under the posts. Tia Hinds converted and Australia prevailed 28-26.
“I just saw the ball come out and I was just like, I need to catch this. I thought it was a bit hot so I was like, I’ve just got to catch and brace myself,” Shave said afterwards.
“Once I knew I was free I had a little bit of a smile because I knew that we were able to put ourselves back in the race.”
Australia went on to win the final 27-14. Faith Nathan and player of the final Heidi Dennis both scored twice.
Australia won the final without two of their best players, with Maddison Levi and Tia Hinds missing through injury. The Aussies take a two-point lead over New Zealand into the world championship decider next weekend in Bordeaux, France.
Meanwhile, the Black Ferns vented their frustration by demolishing Canada 50-12 in the playoff for third. Kelsey Teneti scored five tries.
Fellow Black Ferns Sevens stars Portia Woodman-Wickliffe and Michaela Brake, and Australian Emma Tonegato, are the only other players to have scored five tries in an SVNS match. Brake scored six against Sri Lanka at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
“I think it was built-up anger from the last game. Unlucky not to be in the final, but we knew we had a point to prove out there and just wanted to finish strong,” Teneti told RugbyPass.
“It’s always a tough game against Aussie. It can go both ways no matter what, but I think sevens is just like that and, win or lose, they were the better team today, so we just had to come out strong and make sure we finished strong.”
The Black Ferns Sevens were otherwise largely untroubled throughout the tournament, extending their winning record against Japan and Brazil to a combined 49 consecutive matches.
Manaia Nuku’s 23-point haul against Japan was the third most by any player in a single SVNS match. Back from a gruelling ACL injury, Nuku has grown in stature.
Despite conceding the first try, Argentina was cast aside 38-7 in the first meeting between the two countries.
The Black Ferns Sevens have won 62 of the 95 tournaments they have contested since 2000 and 538 of 591 matches across all competitions. Since 2012, in the SVNS era, they have won 48 of their 60 Cup final appearances. Twenty-seven of those wins have come in 37 matches against Australia. The Black Ferns Sevens have won 388 of 429 SVNS matches.
Unfortunately, the All Blacks Sevens were fifth, coming unstuck after a promising start. Following resounding wins against Uruguay and tenacious Germany, New Zealand was thumped by Argentina in their last pool game and then defeated by Fiji in the quarter-finals.
Jayden Keelan enjoyed a successful return to the region where he played club rugby, while Ngarohi McGarvey-Black added much-needed experience for a young side struggling to find its feet.
Australia won the tournament, their first Cup final success since 2022, rallying from 14-0 down to beat South Africa.
Black Ferns Sevens Scoring
Black Ferns Sevens: 38 (Teneti, Paul, Nuku, Miller, Felix-Hotham, Vahaakolo tries; Nuku 3 cons, Davis con) Argentina: 7 (Talia Ruodich try; Sofia Gonzalez con)
Black Ferns Sevens: 40 (Vahaakolo, Saili, Miller 2, Paul, Nuku tries; Davis 4 cons, Nuku con) Brazil: 12 (Isadora Lopes De Souza, Gabriela Lima tries; Gisele Gomes Dos Santos con)
Black Ferns Sevens: 47 (Felix-Hotham, Miller, Waaka, Nuku 3, Davis tries; Nuku 4, Pouri-Lane, Davis cons) Japan: 14 (Hazuki Ouchida, Honoka Tsutsumi tries; Michiyo Suda, Hanako Utsumi cons)
Black Ferns Sevens: 33 (Vahaakolo, Felix-Hotham, Waaka, Miller 2 tries; Nuku, Pouri-Lane, Davis cons) Spain: 7 (Abril Camacho Ruiz try; Carmen Miranda Miralles con)
Black Ferns Sevens: 26 (Paul, Waaka, Miller, Pouri-Lane tries; Nuku 3 cons) Australia: 28 (Tia Hinds, Heidi Dennis, Faith Nathan, Kaitlin Shave tries; Hinds 4 cons)
Black Ferns Sevens: 50 (Teneti 5, Pouri-Lane, Miller, Mafoe tries; Nuku 2, Davis 2, Pouri-Lane cons) Canada: 14 (Asia Hogan-Rochester 2 tries, 2 cons)
All Blacks Sevens Scoring
All Blacks Sevens: 40 (Vai, Solo, Molia, Lasaqa, Ware, Rokolisoa tries; McGarvey-Black 5 cons) Uruguay: 0
All Blacks Sevens: 33 (McGarvey-Black, Molia, Vai, Solo, Keelan tries; McGarvey-Black 3 cons, Rokolisoa con) Germany: 12 (Cedric Eichholz, Chris Umeh tries; Max Roddick con)
All Blacks Sevens: 0, Argentina: 24 (Marcos Moneta, Santiago Vera Feld, Luciano Gonzalez, Juan Batac, Pedro De Haro tries; Vera Feld 2 cons)
All Blacks Sevens: 0, Fiji: 40 (George Bose 2, Terio Veilawa 2, Akuila Dranivotua, Nakani Boginisoko tries; Bose 3, Veilawa 2, Sakiusa Siqilaa cons)
All Blacks Sevens: 22 (Keelan 2, Rokolisoa, Lasaqa tries; Rokolisoa con) Spain: 12 (Jaime Manteca, Poi Pla tries; Manteca con)
