All Blacks Sevens ace Cody Vai has vowed that “this is not it” for the New Zealanders this season after they claimed a drought-breaking Cup final title at Hong Kong Stadium on Sunday.
Reigning Series champions New Zealand claimed a hard-earned bronze medal at the season’s first event in Dubai last December, but a lack of consistency has cost them in the five events since.
New Zealand has missed the quarter-finals twice during the 2023/24 season, and other than the Hong Kong Sevens, they’ve only made one other Cup final, which was a defeat to Argentina in Vancouver.
But fans with Hong Kong Sevens tickets saw the prime All Blacks.
But there are signs of promise, and with a first-ever Grand Final event in Madrid only a couple of months away, there’s every reason for New Zealand rugby fans to be excited as the SVNS Series nears its finale.
The All Blacks Sevens have successfully defended their crown at the iconic Hong Kong Stadium by going back-to-back after beating a formidable French outfit 10-7 in a historic decider. With the Hong Kong Sevens potentially relocating to Kai Trek Sports Park in 2025, the New Zealanders have etched their names into the history books.
“It means a lot to us,” New Zealand’s Cody Vai told RugbyPass on the field after the epic finale at the Hong Kong Sevens.
“Hong Kong is one of the ones that we want to turn around, and (we’ll) go up from there until the Olympics.
“This is not it. This is part of the journey, and the end is the Olympics.”
About this time last year, when the All Blacks Sevens lifted the Hong Kong Sevens trophy, Cody Vai was the new kid on the SVNS Series block.
As a youngster with plenty of potential, Vai showed signs of promise and excellence as the All Blacks Sevens claimed Cup final glory. Now, a year on, Vai is a two-time champion at the sport’s spiritual home.
“I think it’s a bit more special,” Vai explained when asked if this was as special as last year’s victory.
Shiray Kaka of Black Ferns Gifts Medal
The Hong Kong Sevens has always brought excitement and emotion to the fans with Hong Kong Sevens tickets.
What Black Ferns Sevens player Shiray Kaka did after her team won the title was noteworthy.
One of the most iconic moments from the 2015 Rugby World Cup final didn’t even happen during the match. After captain Richie McCaw lifted the Webb Ellis Cup in triumph, and with the All Blacks walking around the field, Sonny Bill Williams gifted his medal to a young fan.
Williams’ generosity in handing over what every professional rugby player aspires to receive will echo throughout the history of the sport’s most prestigious event. It was an unexpected exchange that has undoubtedly inspired many to dream big.
But that’s just one example. There have been countless moments in the almost 10 years since, including at the historic Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens on Sunday evening. New Zealand’s Shiray Kaka joked about “not” being “very humble,” but that’s not true.
During the men’s final, which the All Blacks Sevens went on to win 10-7, Kaka offered to throw her Hong Kong Sevens medal to a young fan standing above the northwest tunnel.
If the young girl caught it, it was hers to take home.
The young Australian caught the medallion, which is now hers to keep. Still smiling, Kaka spoke with reporters seconds later, but the young fan initially went unnoticed, and the New Zealander didn’t bring it up.
But after hearing about the incredible moment, this reporter had to run over to Kaka to ask the Olympic gold medallist about it quickly. “How did you hear that,” the Black Ferns Sevens star asked.
“She’s been cheering for me all weekend,” Kaka told RugbyPass and another reporter. “She does have an Australian jersey on, though, so it’s kind of a feel-sorry kind of thing as well,” she quipped.
“She’s so cute. She’s like a full Australian fan and just loving rugby, so I want to make sure kids like that stay with rugby, so I gave it to her.”
After losing in the final, semis, and then the quarter-finals in the first three events of the season, the Black Ferns Sevens have turned their 2023/24 season around with a stunning series of Cup final wins. The fans with Hong Kong Sevens tickets were enthralled to see the best of the Black Ferns sevens.
This team that won in Hong Kong also missed a few key players, including captain Sarah Hirini, yet still delivered.
New Zealand ended its silverware drought in Vancouver and followed that up a week later at Los Angeles’ Dignity Health Sports Park. But its most recent success at the Hong Kong Sevens was especially impressive, as it overcame Australia in the semi-finals.
The Kiwis’ defensive effort put them in good stead during the first half of that knockout clash before their attacking flair after the break helped them secure a spot in the big dance.
Finn Morton spoke with New Zealand’s Shiray Kaka about why she gave her Hong Kong Sevens medal to a young fan.
After beating the United States of America in the final, and with Australia placing third, New Zealand has moved up to first on the overall SVNS Series standings on for-and-against. The women in black are equal on overall competition points (106) with the Aussies.
“Whenever Aussie are playing, we’re always like, ‘Oh, someone beat them,’ and whenever we’re playing, I’m sure they do the same,” Kaka said.
“It’s just a bit of banter with us. No hard feelings.
“I’m not very humble. I know that I’m pretty cool and pretty good at rugby, so I knew my time would come,” Kaka joked after being named the Hong Kong Sevens’ best and fairest.
“I didn’t think that I wasn’t going to make Perth, though; I didn’t expect that. There were a few tears. Do you know how people record themselves when they’re crying? I did that when I didn’t make the team and I laugh at it now.”
