Black Ferns sevens guts out win in Canada

New Zealand were without Kelly Brazier but still managed to win the final over Canada. Photo/ Taiwan Mike - World Rugby.

The Black Ferns Sevens are the latest exemplars of the old adage 'Defence wins championships.'

There was uncertainty about how they would fare in Langford, Canada, for the penultimate leg of the Women's World Series. They were missing Sarah Goss, Kelly Brazier and Portia Woodman to the Black Ferns

But they responded with some style and no little grit, conceding just five tries in their six games and holding off hosts Canada 17-7 in a bruising Cup final.

The upshot is that they now sit on 96 competition points, 14 clear of Canada and Australia, who could only manage the bronze medal with a 26-12 win over France. New Zealand should only need to make the Cup semifinals next month in France to regain the World Series title.

New Zealand and Canada were also finalists last month in Japan, where New Zealand edged the win 17-14. But in the early exchanges, it looked like New Zealand would run away with the game. They monopolised possession and ran in tries to Michael Blyde, her ninth (and a solo effort) of a tournament in which she filled Portia Woodman's role with aplomb, and skipper Tyla Nathan-Wong, who scored off a lineout move.

Julia Greenshields hit back for Canada, and the home side then poured on the pressure.

However, New Zealand were tenacious in defence and took the 12-7 halftime lead.

The second spell was as bruising a seven minutes as you will see, as New Zealand denied Canada any chance of mounting a comeback. Their breakdown work, led by player of the final Ruby Tui, was especially effective. A late turnover saw Alena Saili dive over in the corner to seal the victory.

"I'm stoked. The biggest thing out of this tournament is the heart these ladies showed from game one. They really left mana out on the field," says coach Allan Bunting.

Blyde's five tries against England on day one was the individual highlight, but the collective defensive effort on day two, allowing just three tries in three clutch games, was admirable.

The sixth and final leg of the World Series will take place on June 24-25 in Clermont-Ferrand. Let us hope it is not too submerged by the Lions tsunami, as this is a national team heading for the top.

Cup quarter-final:
New Zealand 24 (Alena Saili, Ruby Tui, Michaela Blyde, Crystal Mayes tries; Tyla Nathan-Wong 2 con) Russia 0 HT: 14-0
Cup semifinal:
New Zealand 28 (Crystal Mayes, Michaela Blyde, Niall Williams, Kat Whata-Simpkins tries; Tyla Nathan-Wong 4 con) France 5 (Montserrat Amedee try) HT: 14-0
Cup final:
New Zealand 17 (Michaela Blyde, Tyla Nathan-Wong, Alena Saili tries; Nathan-Wong con)
Canada 7 (Julia Greenshields try; Ghislaine Landry con) HT: 12-7