New Zealand won a record fourth consecutive gold in the Commonwealth Games rugby Sevens on Tuesday, defeating rivals Australia 24-17 in a closely fought final.
Australia came the closest of any team in the competition to matching the pace and power of the Kiwi team, and led 17-7 during the second half until three tries in succession knocked out their bid for gold.
“It makes it a bit more exciting beating the Aussies,” said New Zealand’s Kurt Baker, who scored a try in the dying seconds of the game after a break on the left.
Australian coach Michael Connor said he was extremely proud of his players.
“There were a couple of opportunities for us in the first half,” he said.
South Africa earlier won the bronze medal by beating England 17-14.
New Zealand have won every Commonwealth Games competition since the sport was introduced in 1998 in Kuala Lumpur.
Their path was eased by the absence of twice silver medallists Fiji, who are banned from taking part after being suspended from the Commonwealth in 2006 after a military coup. — Sapa-AFP