fiji wins hsbc dubai sevens

 Australian Women win Dubai Sevens

Maddison Levi scored a  record-breaking 15th try in a single tournament as Australia beat old  rivals New Zealand 28-24 in a high-quality, end-to-end final that set  the highest bar for the rest of the HSBC SVNS.

Australia – champions for the past  four tournaments and out to prove a point after missing out on Olympic  glory – got off to the quickest start. Faith Nathan sliced through the  Black Ferns’ Sevens defence for her seventh try of the weekend in the  first minute. Teagan Levi added their second before four minutes were on  the clock.

New Zealand hit back in an  all-action, breathless match – Jorja Miller held off player of the final  Charlotte Caslick, a defensive rock from the first minute to last, to  get the scoreboard moving, and Risi Pouri-Lane pulled the scores to  within two.

The first-half scoring wasn’t done.  Australia’s new captain Isabella Nasser burst clear for their third on  the stroke of halftime. 

Theresa Setefano and Manaia Nuku both  crossed to give New Zealand the lead early in the second period as they  upped the physicality – but Levi stole clear with the ball against the  run of play for the decisive score.

Nasser warned afterwards that  Australia would only get better: “I’m sort of lost for words,” she said.  “I’m proud of the girls. We have such a tight-knit group - the young  ones really showed up today and I’m sure they will for the rest of the  season. The best is yet to come.

“The Black Ferns are always such a hard team [to play]. They always show up and we have such a good rivalry.”

• Australia and Fiji were crowned Emirates Dubai 7s champions  following a thrilling two days at the opening round of HSBC SVNS 2025
• Fiji beat Spain 19-5 to win men’s gold, as Spain reached their first ever SVNS final
• Australia overcame New Zealand 28-24 in a pulsating women’s final as Maddison Levi breaks tournament try scoring record
• Argentina and France won men’s and women’s bronze medals respectively
• All 24 teams move directly on to Cape Town for the second round of HSBC SVNS on 7-8 December

International rugby sevens returned to thrill the huge crowds at The  Sevens Stadium in Dubai as Australia women and Fiji men ran out winners  to take an early lead in the HSBC SVNS standings.

Fiji beat Spain 19-5 to lift the men’s trophy and claim their first  SVNS tournament victory since Toulouse in 2022, and their first in Dubai  since 2016. Argentina claimed the men’s bronze medals with a convincing  14-0 win over New Zealand.

Australia secured an incredible fifth successive women’s tournament  victory in Dubai but they had to work hard for it in an epic final  against Olympic champions New Zealand which finished 28-24. France  overcame Great Britain 15-12 to take home the women’s bronze medals.

Olympic silver medalists Fiji looked back to their scintillating  best and turned on the style to thrash Argentina 43-21 in the  semi-final, having earlier overcome reigning Olympic champions France  19-17 in a tense quarter-final.

Fiji coach Osea Kolinisau was  delighted his side had broken their long run without a title: “It’s been  a long time coming,” he said. “ I’m so happy for the boys. I’m so happy  that we’ve got the monkey off our back now. 

Spain were impressive throughout the weekend and made history by  reaching their first ever cup final thanks to a superb 19-14 victory  over New Zealand in the semi-final, following a quarter-final win  against Great Britain by the same scoreline earlier in the day.