NZ sevens turn sights on LA

Fresh from wiping their opponents off the turf here this weekend, New Zealand head to Los Angeles primed for a further assault on the International Rugby Board (IRB) sevens series.
Underhand Argentine tactics failed to derail New Zealand's third consecutive victory on Saturday, thumping the South Americans 31-7.
Besides securing the outright lead in the IRB series, New Zealand's comprehensive display served as an ominous warning to other contenders.
Gordon Tietjens blooded a batch of young and inexperienced players which could have served as an Achilles heel, but looking ahead to the fourth leg in Los Angeles next weekend, Tietjens felt they could only improve further.
The veteran coach always knew he had a squad oozing with talent before the tournament, and after Saturday's effort at Westpac Stadium his estimation of the team has catapulted.
"In the back of my mind I knew they could do it but whether they could produce it out here in the Cake Tin with all this pressure was yet to be seen but they came through," Tietjens said.
"It was a great team performance and fantastic to see the younger guys in their first big sevens tournament perform the way they did."
Besides coping with the pressure generated from a manic 35,000-strong crowd, New Zealand also had to contend with biting and testicle grabbing as Argentina hit below the belt.
Captain Liam Messam was mistaken for a piece of prime beef after Santiago Gomez Cora was sent-off mid-way through the second half for biting.
Cora was subsequently suspended from all rugby until February 15 following an IRB judicial hearing here Saturday night, which means he will miss the Los Angeles tournament.
At the hearing, Cora admitted in a statement that he had bitten Messam but claimed he had done so in response to provocation.
Following the over aggressive use of the teeth, star performer Tamati Ellison also experienced some Argentinian anger when he confirmed that his testicles were grabbed during the match.
Despite the niggle and sinbinning, the incidents did not detract from a New Zealand performance which was timed to perfection.
After beating Fiji in their final pool match on Friday 26-7, New Zealand eased past Samoa 26-14 in the quarterfinals on Saturday before firing the afterburners to paste South Africa 34-12 to reach the final.
Before the tournament, New Zealand's lack of pace was discussed as a possible weakness.
Their forwards, ably led by Messam, decided to take the direct route, crashing up the middle of the ground while big Wellington winger Roy Kinikinilau ran riot down the flanks, becoming the tournament's leading try-scorer with 10.
In the final, New Zealand showed they were a class above, with Orene Ai'i mesmerising the defence with his stepping while Amasio Valence astutely directed play.
The young guns followed suit, with Ellison constantly breaking the line and off-loading superbly.
"We spoke about it and Rushie (technical advisor Eric Rush) put the onus on the senior players. I just wanted to go out there and lead and play my natural game and hope the young fellas would follow and they certainly did," Ai'i said.
"It's a good way to go into LA and we'll enjoy tonight, but we've still got some hard work to do and there's another leg that needs to be done."
Fiji lie second in the IRB standings with 44 points, England are third on 36, while Argentina have 34 points. ? NZPA