Rugby: Black Ferns Sevens bounce back in Dubai

Stacey Waaka scores for the Black Ferns Sevens in the final against Canada. Photo / Photosport

The Black Ferns Sevens have bounced back from a disappointing start to the World Series series by winning the second event in Dubai yesterday.

New Zealand were trailing Canada 14-5 at halftime in the final, but a second try to Stacey Waaka and another by Gayle Broughton in the 14th minute helped them claim a 17-14 victory.

The win moved New Zealand to the top of the series standings, tied with the USA, after the Black Ferns Sevens finished third in the season's opening event in Glendale, USA.

The New Zealand men's side just fell short of a perfect weekend for the teams in black, losing 15-0 to South Africa in the final.

Black Ferns Sevens captain Tyla Nathan-Wong said the comeback victory in the final shows the spirit within the team who were also missing the experienced trio of Sarah Hirini, Michaela Blyde and Portia Woodman, arguably their three biggest names.

"I'm just super proud of these girls. It's been a tough three to four months just working hard and grinding at training. Coming over here with a few injuries. Everyone worked so hard. We were down but we had the heart, we had the patience and we knew we could back ourselves," Nathan-Wong said.

"It doesn't matter who pulls this black jersey on you have gotta play with pride, mana and for yourself, your friends, your family and especially for the fern, the country."

The Black Ferns Sevens made the quarter-finals despite a rare pool play defeat to France 19-14. They recovered with a 24-10 win over Fiji in the quarter-finals before another strong victory in the semis, beating USA 24-7.

The New Zealand men's side reached the final after a 26-5 quarter-final win over the USA followed by a 19-12 victory over England in the semis. They failed to cross the tryline in the final though with South Africa scoring a try on either side of halftime before closing out the final when Seabelo Senatla scored their third midway though the second half.