England win Wellington Sevens after dramatic Cup Final with Kenya

England scored a late equaliser to take a thrilling Wellington Sevens Cup Final into extra time, and ultimately beat a numbers deprived, but spirited, Kenyan team 24-19. New Zealand beat Samoa to take third place.

Kenya were a prominent force on the second day of the IRB Sevens World Series as they beat South Africa 21-20 in a tense quarter final, then beat hosts New Zealand 19-14 to earn themselves a place in just their second ever Cup Final.

England beat a strong Samoan team 21-19 in their Semi Final, setting up what later became a highly memorable finish to another great tournament in New Zealand's capital.

Kenya fell behind early but later led 19-12, tackling like men possessed and all but holding out if it were not for two yellow cards late in the game. England equalised with time up, taking it into extra time and setting up a sudden death scenario, with Sam Edgerley scoring the winner.

"The Kenyan team were incredible. It’s one of the toughest games I’ve ever played in. The physical limits were pushed beyond today," added captain Mike Powell.

Kenya (56 points) now sit in second place on the overall standings, 21 points behind leaders New Zealand (77). England are in eighth place (37). France (51), Fiji (51), and Samoa (54) make up the rest of the top five. The next leg takes place in Las Vegas next weekend.

Posted at 12:31 pm | 10 comments

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