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New Zealand coach Gordon Tietjens has praised the spirit of his injury-hit squad after they were beaten by Fiji 35-28 in a pulsating Hong Kong Sevens rugby final.
Tietjens didn’t take anything away from a superb Fijian performance on Monday morning (NZT) in which playmaker Nikola Matawalu was a major influence.
“They played a great game,” he said of the opposition.
“They came out on fire.”
But he also told his own charges of his pride in their efforts and the way they fought back after Fiji had raced to an early 14-0 lead.
“They played well above expectations,” he said.
“I’m really proud of them to get as far as the final and come close to winning it.”
New Zealand, the defending champions, had gone into the tournament without four regulars in Sevens World Series top points scorer Frank Halai, vice-captain Lote Raikabula, Solomon King and Toby Arnold.
With three of the series’ nine rounds to go, Fiji has closed to within two points of New Zealand at the top of the table.
The next stop on the circuit is Tokyo next weekend.
The Hong Kong final was a classic New Zealand-Fiji confrontation.
Waisea Nayacalevu scored for Fiji before New Zealand touched the ball and Joeli Lutumailagi added a second shortly after.
New Zealand struck back through two Mark Jackman tries to level at 14-14 at halftime.
But Fiji made another fast start to the second half as skipper Setefano Cakau dotted down.
Then, with Jackman yellow carded for tackling an airborne opponent, Matawalu turned from creator to tryscorer to help his side kick out to 28-14.
A try to Bryce Heem closed the gap, but Nayacalevu’s second touchdown sealed the victory and there was only enough time New Zealand to grab a last-minute consolation through Waisake Naholo.
South Africa, who lost to New Zealand in the semi-finals, won the third/fourth playoff by beating England 28-0.
Australia made it to the quarter-finals before losing to England.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.