We beat South Africa 21-0 in the cup final in rainy miserable conditions. Photo/Thinkstock
A Sunday brunch with family members has been a long-time tradition for the All Black Sevens team when playing in the Wellington leg of the World Series.
"It was definitely a bit sweeter this year compared with last year," Hawke's Bay playmaker Gillies Kaka said yesterday.
Last year the All Black Sevens, with Havelock North's Kaka making his World Series debut, failed to reach the Cup final when pipped by England in the semifinals.
On Saturday night the hosts beat South Africa 21-0 in the Cup final in wet and miserable conditions at the Westpac Stadium to regain the series lead with four tournaments remaining. Ngati Kahungunu's 2013 Sportsperson of the Year, Kaka, described the victory haka following the final as "an awesome experience."
"The crowd was pumping."
After losing 12-7 to Fiji in their opening pool game the All Black Sevens went on to score 178 points in their next five games without conceding any. Kaka agreed outstanding defence was the key to their tournament win.
"The entire team defended well as a unit. When we get our defence right we play good as we all know we've got that attacking flair," Kaka said.
While the All Black Sevens next tournament is in Tokyo from March 22-23 Kaka said he is unlikely to play for Havelock North at the Hawke's Bay Sevens in Waipukurau on Saturday. "We've been told we have to have a week off but I will still be there to support the boys," Kaka said.
Kaka, whose massive punts proved an ace for the hosts in the greasy conditions, had a huge workload in the capital, partly because first-choice pivot Tomasi Cama was working his way back from a torn calf and partly because coach Sir Gordon Tietjens was wanting to build depth within his squad.
"Gillies is a class player as well and so is Tomasi," Tietjens said. "It's just getting the right guys on the track if you need to."
Aside from a consistent tournament from Kaka, Tietjens was well served by captain DJ Forbes and fellow experienced and versatile forward Tim Mikkelson.
In the backline, the returning Sherwin Stowers, who scored eight tries during the weekend, and Ben Lam, who both missed the trip to Las Vegas, enjoyed a strong showing in Wellington.
"With that extra experience in the midfield it has just lifted our younger guys and they're actually picking up on that as well, which is great; they've done the hard yards," Tietjens said.
One of those young guys, Auckland's Akira Ioane was used sparingly throughout the tournament but all the pieces are there for the 18-year-old to become a force in coming tournaments.
Tietjens was rapt with his side's defensive work and ability to apply tactics appropriate to the conditions.
"I just feel since the loss [to Fiji] we picked up," Tietjens said. "Obviously we've really worked on our defence. Defence wins tournaments, there's no question about that but we've been playing some smart footy in these conditions at the same time and that's a real key. We are not a team that ever kicks, but when you're going to put a lot of pressure on, we can bring our defensive line up and put them under a lot of pressure and get turnovers."
Forbes pointed out a chat to the troops from former All Black Sevens player and All Black legend Jonah Lomu proved inspirational. Forbes said his side's superior physicality at the breakdown was just as pivotal as the hosts classy defensive work.
"After five losses in a row to South Africa it's good to get our World Series back on track. Hopefully our win in the final has made things a little smoother for the fans who have braved these difficult weather conditions all weekend," Forbes added.
In the battle of the beaten semifinalists, Fiji claimed third place with a 14-7 win over England. Australia pipped Canada 12-10 in the plate final, Kenya picked up the bowl with a 24-14 win over Scotland and the United States beat Spain 28-12 to claim the shield.