The All Blacks Sevens have comfortably beaten Great Britain 29-7 in their Olympics semi-final this afternoon.
The New Zealand team started slow with the first possession, taking over a minute to make their way out of their half against a British defence that proved hard to break.
A penalty for a high tackle put them on the front foot though with Scott Curry eventually capitalising on the right wing after two and a half minutes of relentless attack without an error.
Great Britain responded instantly though, scoring seconds after the restart with Dan Norton making a break on a left wing and streaking away to score, tying the game at 7-7 with three minutes left in the first half.
The All Blacks Sevens were forced to begin their next attack from deep inside their half again with Great Britain opting not to challenge the ball at the breakdown to keep their numbers in the defensive line high.
However, back-to-back penalties gave the Kiwis some much-needed territory as they set up a lineout 30m from the British line with 20 seconds left in the half.
Regan Ware eventually made his way inside Great Britain’s in-goal but there was a moment of concern as the referee went upstairs to check if his foot went out as he dotted the ball down.
Replays washed those fears away though, and with it gave New Zealand a 14-7 lead at halftime.
The All Blacks were straight on to the attack in the second half after Great Britain lost the ball off the kick-off.
New Zealand weren’t able to convert at the scrum though, instead giving up a penalty after losing the ball at a breakdown.
Great Britain bizarrely took a quick tap from inside their 22m and kicked to clear the ball, giving New Zealand a lineout 40m from the British line.
The Kiwi set piece was more effective this time with Ware eventually making his way across for a second after some improvised passes along the ground by the New Zealand team.
Dylan Collier then delivered the finishing blow in a beautiful team play.
Andrew Knewstubb restarted the game with a pinpoint kick to the left wing which Collier ran on to and caught at the perfect time, running down the left sideline to score untouched against the dumbfounded Brits and pushed the score to 24-7.
Curry put the final nail in the coffin with a try just before the final hooter.
They will play Fiji in the final this evening after the defending champions took down Argentina 26-14 in the other semi-final.
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