New Zealand women have triumphed for a second successive tournament in the Sevens world series, after defeating Australia 17-7 in Cape Town.

The Black Ferns opened the scoring with an early try for Kelly Brazier, and 12-0 at the break following another score from Ruby Tui. 

Ellia Green cut the deficit to just five points when she crossed just after the re-start, but Tui capped off a fine player of the match display with her second try to secure victory.

Following the win, captain Tyla Nathan-Wong said she was “just so proud” of her team.

“We didn't start the tournament how we wanted to but we finished it doing what we wanted to do. These last two weeks have just been everything, the girls have worked so hard and we pulled through in the end.”

New Zealand had to work hard on course to victory. During the pool stages, they secured victory over hosts South Africa, Fiji and Russia. They then narrowly defeated England in the quarter-final by just five points, but not before extra-time was needed. In the semi-finals, they beat Canada 15-5, after tries by Alena Saili, Kelly Brazier and Niall Williams.

The win sees the team sit top of the overall standings after three rounds of action, six points clear of Australia in second place.

The Black Ferns remain Sevens most successful side, having won five world-series since its inception in 2012. They will be seeking to extend their lead at the next tournament in Hamilton, New Zealand, which starts next year on the 25th January.