Classic Encounter - Wellington Sevens Final 2008

The Wellington leg of the IRB Sevens series produced one of the most outstanding finals in Sevens rugby history. A true classic, the meeting between hosts New Zealand the last years winners, Samoa, was a game that had the neutral viewer and the 35 000 strong crowd on the edge of their seats.

A last minute try by hometown hero Victor Vito sent the more than vocal crowd into hysteria, with the conversion simply a formality that from what I saw, they didn't even bother taking. Vito, who was compared to the great Lomu when scoring one of this tries, is fast becoming one of the more dangerous players in the incredibly talented New Zealand side.

Not to take away from Samoa though. The title holder put up an amazing fight, and after a dramatic start to the game were actually in control at one stage. The scorer of the first try, Mikaele Pesamino, looks to be an amazing find and with speed like that and age on his side, we're sure to be seeing a lot more from him in years to come.

For me, an absolutely classic match that either side could have won. As Keith Quinn labelled it, "The most dramatic final you could ever see."


Time: 07:48

Posted at 2:53 am | 22 comments

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