While we are told that the rest of the world is catching up, as the sport gets more globally competitive, New Zealand has stayed aheadof the rest when it matters most.
New Zealand players celebrate following victory in the women's rugby sevens gold medal match. Photo / Getty Images
Aside from a tougher-than-expected test against the US in the semifinal – which the team admitted was their most disjointed effort of the tournament – they were imperious throughout in the French capital.
It’s an overused term but this has been a true golden generation, and Wednesday’s triumph was an appropriate sign-off for some of the greats of this squad.
It also felt right that they claimed New Zealand’s first medal of this Games, such has been their enduring excellence for so long.
Successive Olympic triumphs, along with a silver medal in Rio, put this group in a special echelon. Along with the legendary rowing combinations – Eric Murray and Hamish Bond and the Evers-Swindell twins – they join a unique category of Kiwi teams who have won consecutive Olympic golds.
The final wasn’t completely straightforward and was never going to be. Canada are a tough, doughty team, with a physical style, that like to dominate at the ruck. They also had a recent win over this New Zealand side, in pool play in the last round of the World Series in Madrid.
But today was never going to be their day – not against a team like this. It was nervy, as New Zealand trailed 12-7 at halftime when a Portia Woodman-Wickliffe yellow card for a dangerous tackle gave the Canadians some momentum after Risaleeana Pouri-Lane had scored before Canada had even touched the ball.
But they dug their way out – with brutal defence – and two magical tries to Michaela Blyde and Stacey Waaka, the second created quite brilliantly by captain Sarah Hirini, with a break from inside her own quarter. They won a penalty with 30 seconds to play, deep in the Canadian half and could celebrate – raising their arms in the air – before Jorja Miller kicked the ball into touch to end the game.
The result was even more special given the massive contingent of family and friends there to witness it after no one could be in Tokyo.
It had been a brutally hot day in Paris. It was still 34C at 7.45pm when the final kicked off, along with 50% humidity, though at least most of the field was bathed in shade. Fans sought refuge from the heat wherever they could, racing for shade in between session breaks.
The semifinal against the US was probably the worst period, which made that contest doubly difficult.
It had been a day of shocks in Paris, with joint favourites Australia stunned by Canada in the semifinal, before they were turned over by the United States in the bronze medal match.
But that was where the surprises ended, on a memorable day for New Zealand sport.
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics’, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. A football aficionado, Burgess will never forget the noise that greeted Rory Fallon’s goal against Bahrain in Wellington in 2009.
