KEY POINTS:
Rampaging winger Victor Vito scored the winning try to dispatch a dangerous Samoan team in the final of the Wellington sevens last night - and announced himself as a coming man on the national rugby scene.
Vito scored New Zealand's first try in a blockbusting run, using pace,
a fend like a club and a shoulder to get through three Samoans. That pulled New Zealand back into the reckoning after a Nigel Hunt error turned the ball over and Samoan speedster Mikaele Pesamino blazed away to push his team to a 7-0 lead.
Vito's first try made it 7-5 but if it sounds an easy win, it wasn't. The Samoans harried the New Zealanders into an awkward, unstructured game but even then they looked as if they might be down and out just before halftime when Zar Lawrence - another of the individual stars for New Zealand - wriggled out of a tackle to score.
The Samoans looked as if they might struggle to foot it with Gordon Tietjens' super-fit team but they struck back just after the break with a fine try to Alatasi Tupou- and then rocked the Cake Tin with that rarity, a dropped goal in sevens.
Their playmaking general, Lolo Lui, was the kicker and, at 17-12 down (after Steven Yates had bulldozed over for a try), the New Zealanders didn't have long to put matters right.
They tied matters up at 17-17 with another Yates try and, with only seconds remaining, did what the entire Cake Tin crowd was willing them to do and passed the ball wide to Vito with half an overlap. The Samoan defender couldn't live with the big man, who handed him off and scored out wide to seal the game.
It was a fitting result and fitting that Vito should score. Although he wasn't always in the thick of the action, Vito's size and pace was a powerful weapon throughout the tournament and at full gallop and bumping off defenders, it was impossible not to make the comparison with Jonah Lomu.
New Zealand coach Tietjens paid tribute to Vito's efforts.
"The last move of the game ... that's what all the practice is about. You put these moves together and in this case, it came off perfectly.
"It was such an outstanding performance from such a young guy. There is nothing better than this, to win in Wellington is fantastic," Tietjens said.
Originally a flanker in 15s, Vito has been setting sprint times that many Super 14 wingers can't match, although even he might have had to hand the speed crown to Pesamino, who might just have been the fastest man on the field last night and who finished as top try-scorer for the tournament with eight.
Samoa, who won this tournament last year, were worthy finalists and with a team much changed from 2007.
Earlier, New Zealand trampled roughshod over Australia, winning a one-sided semifinal 32-7 to set up the final. New Zealand's superior size and fitness told on yet another opponent with a powerful six-try performance at Westpac Stadium.
New Zealand and Samoa met in the final match of pool play last night, with the hosts emerging 19-7 winners.
That was the toughest game of the tournament so far for New Zealand, who crushed Wales 40-5 in their quarterfinal yesterday.
The Australians looked like they would put up a fight when Tim Wright miraculously held up Zar Lawrence when the New Zealander crossed the tryline in the opening seconds.
However, normal business resumed when impressive forwards Steven Yates and Edwin Cocker crossed for tries.
Scott Higginbotham kept the contest alive at 10-7 when he scored just before halftime for Australia.
However, as was the case against Wales, the hosts were untouchable in the second spell, with tries going to captain DJ Forbes, Lawrence, twice, while Yates also bagged his second.
Australia's cause wasn't helped by a yellow card being dished out to Higginbotham early in the second half.
Samoa just held out a fast-finishing Tonga, who scored the last two tries before a desperate attack was thwarted near the tryline in the final act of the game.
Samoa's extra speed proved the difference, particularly that of Pesamino.
Last night Pesamino scored against New Zealand, one of just two players to do so at this tournament.
- NZPA