NZ outmuscle Argentina in sevens final

JOHANNESBURG: Powerful New Zealand outplayed error-prone Argentina 38-14 in Cape Town Sunday to win the second leg of the World Rugby Sevens Series.

The convincing victory followed two much closer matches — a 17-12 quarter-final win over England followed by a 19-12 triumph against hosts and title-holders South Africa. A new-look New Zealand squad under new coach Clark Laidlaw finished runners-up to South Africa last weekend in the first leg of the 10-tournament series in Dubai.

That result coupled with winning in Cape Town gave the Kiwis an early lead in the overall standings with 41 points, two more than South Africa.New Zealand began the second leg with an unexpected 22-0 loss to the United States, but bounced back to defeat Spain and Australia convincingly and secure a last-eight place.

“I am so proud of the way the boys fought back after losing to the Americans in our opening match,” New Zealand skipper Scott Curry told reporters. “Today was a fresh start for us in Cape Town and we helped each other throughout the matches. Our team spirit made a huge difference.

“We are now looking forward to the third leg in Sydney during January followed by the fourth in our home town of Hamilton, where the tickets have already been sold out.” After reaching the final with victories over first-day surprise teams the United States and Canada, Argentina made a string of unforced errors against the clinical New Zealanders.