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Black Ferns sevens take second straight Dubai title with last-gasp win over Canada

December 8, 2019

New Zealand's womens team have defended their Dubai Sevens crown in dramatic fashion, a last ditch try to Gayle Broughton earning the Kiwis a 17-14 victory.

Coming into the match on the back of a 24-7 semi-final thrashing of the USA, the Black Ferns sevens took less than two minutes to get on the board, Stacey Waaka opening the scoring for the Kiwis.

However, Canada would show incredible resolve to score not once, but twice before the break - tries to Karen Paquin and Julia Greenshields giving them a 14-5 lead.

In a dogged second half, the Canadians' defence would be resolute, before Waaka crossed over for her second, seeing the Black Ferns sevens behind 14-12 going into the final moments.

With time almost up, Broughton would prove to be the hero - not for the first time in Dubai - holding off the Canadian defence for just long enough to score the decisive try.

The win sees New Zealand's women move to joint top of the new World Series standings after two events, level with the USA, both with one tournament win and one third place after the first two rounds.

The Black Ferns sevens will look to finish 2019 on a high heading into the final event of the year in Cape Town next week, before beginning 2020 in front of a home crowd in Hamilton.

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