Black Ferns Sevens, All Blacks Sevens brought back down in Cape Town round of SVNS Series
Monday, 8 December 2025
It might not be quite the proverbial rock under the beach towel, but the Black Ferns Sevens’ loss to Australia in Cape Town will ensure the sand still won’t be at its smoothest for the Kiwi women over their Christmas/New Year break.
On the back of their season-opening triumph in Dubai last weekend, Cory Sweeney’s side had the tables turned on them big-time in the second round of the SVNS Series, put to the sword in a 26-12 defeat in the decider.
Having had the wood on their arch rivals, beating them in the final of the last four events, it’s a slice of revenge that will do the Australians a world of good, and is sure to keep the defending-champion Kiwis grounded, and hungry, as the series enters an extended hiatus over the festive period.
This season’s revamped structure sees an eight-week break (up from seven), with the resumption now not coming in Perth, where the Black Ferns Sevens are yet to triumph after two visits, but first in Singapore, where they have prevailed on both attempts, in what will be another set of back-to-back events.
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Operating without twin stalwarts Sarah Hirini and Michaela Brake this season, Sweeney would have been buoyed by what he continued to see in South Africa, but the final still proved just how little separates the two trans-Tasman adversaries.
Oddly, though, both deciders so far have been one-sided affairs. In Dubai, the Kiwi women shot out to a 22-0 lead early in the second half, before sealing a 29-14 win, while in Cape Town it was the Aussies who charged out to 26-0 early in the second stanza.
New Zealand will look back and rue an error-ridden start to the game, which began with captain Risi Pouri-Lane delivering an ill-advised offload for Waaka to juggle, get isolated, get penalised, and duly give the Aussies the chance to pounce.
Heidi Dennis all-too-easily got around Teneti on the flank, before Maia Davis was then flung into touch from the restart, which led to Teagan Levi bursting onto a ball to power past Theresa Setefano to make the lead double figures.
The setbacks kept coming, with Pouri-Lane off for a stint due to blood, Teneti cutting the deficit only for the try to be rightly ruled out by the TMO for a forward pass by Jazmin Felix-Hotham, then when Alena Saili dropped a ball in-goal and Stacey Waaka messily kicked downfield, the women in gold were able to strike a decisive blow after the halftime hooter.
When Levi then got over Jorja Miller to win a big turnover soon after the resumption, and the ball was sent to Levi’s sister, Maddison, and she brushed off Teneti and surged 65 metres down the right touchline, the game was as good as done.
The Black Ferns Sevens did keep up the fight. Teneti powered up the middle to open the account with four minutes still left, then Miller’s magic put Waaka over in the corner with two to play, which saw the conversion opted against and left two converted tries the difference, and while the Black Ferns Sevens had the chance at a miracle, the Aussie defence proved far too stout.
Meanwhile, the All Blacks Sevens were also unable to back-up their drought-breaking Dubai display, having to settle for fifth in Cape Town, in a tournament that proved just how competitive the men’s side of the game remains.
After finishing last in the season-opener, two-time reigning regular season champs Argentina sprung back to life, this time making the final, and holding a 19-7 second-half lead in it, before South Africa, who were fifth last weekend, stormed back to defend their home-turf title with a 21-19 victory.
The men in black had fallen to the Blitzboks 19-14 on day one, unable to take full advantage of two yellow cards to the hosts in the first half, before being blitzed 35-5 by Fiji in what was a virtual quarterfinal.
The Kiwi men, though, were fielding a rather inexperienced outfit, with Regan Ware, Rob Rush and Sione Molia all having been added to a casualty ward post-Dubai that already included Michael Manson, Ngarohi McGarvey-Black, Roderick Solo and Joey Taumateine.
That then made it five debutants in two weeks for Tomasi Cama’s outfit, with Fletcher Morgan, Riley Williams and Kele Lasaqa having got their first caps last weekend, and Sam Clarke and Bradley Tocker following suit in Cape Town, where New Zealand bounced back on day two to bank valuable competition points.
SVNS, Rd 2, Cape Town
BLACK FERNS SEVENS
Pool play: beat Great Britain 38-10, beat United States 38-12, beat Fiji 31-19
Semifinal: beat France 19-7
Final: lost to Australia 26-12
Series points: Australia 38, New Zealand 38, Japan 28, United States 26, France 24, Fiji 22, Canada 20, Great Britain 12
ALL BLACKS SEVENS
Pool play: beat Great Britain 29-12, lost to South Africa 19-14, lost to Fiji 35-5
5th-8th playoff: beat Australia 28-21
5th/6th playoff: beat Great Britain 27-12
Series points: South Africa 32, Fiji 32, New Zealand 32, France 28, Australia 28, Argentina 24, Great Britain 18, Spain 16