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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