With the IRB Sevens World Series continuing in South Africa and the SEA Games concluding in Thailand, it’s been a hectic week of rugby.


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IRB SEVENS WORLD SERIESTwo tries from Victor Vito helped New Zealand maintain their perfect start to the IRB Sevens World Series with a successful defence of the Emirates Airline South Africa Sevens title in George, although there were a few other shocks along the way. MORE >>


LEGION D'HONNEUR

IRB Chairman Dr Syd Millar has received the Legion d'honneur at a ceremony in his home town of Ballymena in Northern Ireland. The accolade is the highest that can be bestowed on an individual by France. MORE >>


KENYAN GOALS
Innocent Simiyu reveals Kenya's ambitious targets for the 2007/08 IRB Sevens World Series, ones they are on track to realise after reaching the Cup quarter-finals in both Dubai and George. MORE >>


THAILAND DOUBLE

The South East Asian Games yielded two gold medals for the host nation Thailand in the Sevens competition, their men beating the Philippines and the women overcoming Laos in the final. MORE >>


TOTAL RUGBY RADIO
This week we hear from Graham Henry, Gordon Tietjens, DJ Forbes, Sherylle Caulder, Tadukzwa Ngwenya, Michael Collinson, James Bolabiu, plus much more..

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN >>


HONG KONG SEVENS
Five thousand tickets for the Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens 2008 - the fifth event of the IRB Sevens World Series - which were held back for public sale sold out in just four hours at Hong Kong Stadium. MORE >>


PACIFIC RUGBY CUP

The International Rugby Board have unveiled the schedule for the IRB Pacific Rugby Cup 2008, when the representative teams from Fiji and Tonga will be hoping to end Samoa's dominance of the trophy. MORE >>


Source: IRB Website

As the 2007/08 IRB Sevens World Series continues in George, defending champions New Zealand were slow to start with Kenya in pool A making several threatening breaks, but ran out 19-0 winners after tries from Edwin Cocker (2) and Israel Dagg.


The defending champions were more clinical against Zimbabwe with Dagg scoring two of New Zealand's seven tries in a 41-0 victory after captain DJ Forbes had touched down the opening try.


England also started with a victory, overcoming Zimbabwe 24-7.


However, hopes of a Cup quarter-final were dealt a blow when two tries by Kenya's captain Innocent Simiyu saw his side run out 17-7 winners.

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Fiji strengthened their position at the top of the International Rugby Board ( IRB ) Sevens World Series, after they beat off a strong challenge from Samoa on Day Two in Round Six of the series in Adelaide on Sunday.


The Fijians, coming back from conceding an early try, went on to win the Final 21-7. They also had to come from behind in the quarter-final (where the game against South African went into sudden-death extra time) and the semi-final.


It was the fourth consecutive IRB Sevens World Series event in which the two Pacific Island nations clashed in the Final and they have now each won two - Samoa winning in Wellington, Fiji winning in San Diego, Samoa taking Hong Kong and now this week Fiji winning in the inaugural Adelaide Sevens.


It put Fiji on 104 points, with Samoa overtaking New Zealand in second place on 94 points. New Zealand, with two rounds remaining, are still in the race on 90 points, but fourth-placed South Africa (80) are almost certainly out of the race. To make up 24 points in just two events is near impossible.


Fijian coach Waisale Serevi admitted that his team can't afford to now rest on their laurels.

"It doesn't mean we've won the series," he said after the Final in Adelaide. "We can lose in the quarter-finals in the next two and then we are out of it. We knew we had to win here in the Final to stay ahead in the race, but a lot of work awaits."

Serevi described the Adelaide leg of the eight-tournament event - especially after having to come from behind in beating South Africa in the quarter-finals and New Zealand in the semi-finals.


* Hosts Australia were deserved winners of the Plate competition, as they beat a sloppy South African outfit 31-0 in a one-sided Final. The Aussies held a narrow 5-0 lead at the break, but four more tries in the second-half saw them punish the visitors for every mistake.


* In the Shield Final Canada took the honours by beating Japan 43-17, while Wales won the Bowl competition by beating an injury ravaged Tongan team 26-14 in the Final.


* Earlier Samoa qualified to meet Fiji in the Final after the Samoans overpowered the game, but clearly outclassed, Kenyan side 31-0.


New Zealand and Fiji, who have often met in finals in the past, played out a thrilling semi-final in which the lead changed hands a couple of times before the Fijians sealed it with a try after the hooter for full-time had already sounded to take it 24-17.


* In the quarter-finals Kenya produced one of the biggest upsets of the year to beat England 17-12 and advance to their first ever appearance in an IRB World Series semi-final.


Samoa beat Australia 22-17 and New Zealand easily marched past Scotland by 40-14.


The game that produced most excitement in the quarter-finals was when Fiji had to come from being 12 points behind (17-5) to score a dramatic extra-time 22-17 win against South Africa. This ended the South Africans' World Series hopes.

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