England triumph in Dubai rugby sevens final

Defending champions England claimed victory again on Saturday after beating France 29-14 in the final of the IRB rugby sevens tournament in Dubai.

England, who overcame the much-fancied Fiji in the semi-finals, were crowned top team for the second year running. It was the first all northern hemisphere final to be played in sevens history. Mat Turner was one of the star players for England, scoring two crucial tries in the final moments of the first half of the final.

Coach Ben Ryan said the New Zealand victory in the quarter-finals had been crucial, adding that Turner had been a huge asset.

France had earlier beaten Argentina in their last four clash to reach the cup final, their first in six years.

Fiji won the opening tournament in the Sevens World Series held in Australia last month. Earlier on Saturday in the quarter-finals of the main cup competition, England beat New Zealand, Argentina edged past Wales, France shocked South Africa and Fiji overpowered Australia. On Friday, Fiji, South Africa, England and Wales emerged as the top international men’s teams after winning their groups. Over 43,000 fans flocked to the Sevens on the 40th anniversary of UAE National Day to witness the action.

Current HSBC Sevens World Series leaders Fiji cruised through the day with comfortable victories over Argentina, the UAE and Samoa on their way to topping Pool A.

South Africa, meanwhile, defeated Portugal and the USA before overcoming the toughest obstacle of the pool stages with a convincing victory over New Zealand to top Pool B.

Defending Dubai champions England also looked to be in fine form with a win over Zimbabwe, then victory over Kenya and a win over France to finish top of Pool C. Wales overcame Scotland, Canada and Australia to claim their spot at the top of Pool D.