Former Flying Fijians and national 7s coach Wayne Pivac has guided the Auckland 7s team to win the New Zealand 7s title yesterday.

The favourites had a tournament of two halves after a huge hiccup on day one losing to Manawatu 29-7 before picking themselves up and throwing off the in form Taranaki, Waikato and Otago 36-24 in the final to lift the trophy for a record 11th time.

The side then came close to giving away their final spot to Waikato as they went into golden point after Tim Mikkelson scored a controversial try on full time.

The Waikato wing appeared to have fumbled the ball forward but was awarded the try to tie the scores 17-17 as Joe Webber was unable to convert from out in front.

While Pivac never predicted an easy ride he backed his side all the way.

Pivac said he was more than pleased with his side’s efforts but wasn’t expecting an Auckland filled national side.


Story by: Dreu Vukailagi