Black Ferns Sevens claim fourth straight Hong Kong title in thrilling win over Australia

The Black Ferns Sevens have added another golden chapter to one of New Zealand sport’s most compelling success stories, claiming their fourth consecutive Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens title with a 19-14 victory over fierce rivals Australia at Kai Tak Stadium on Sunday.

The win, New Zealand’s sixth tournament victory of the 2026 HSBC SVNS season, came at an occasion-soaked event — the Hong Kong Sevens was celebrating its 50th anniversary, and the Black Ferns Sevens made sure the milestone weekend ended in New Zealand’s favour.

After 14 minutes of absorbing rugby against a determined Australian side, the scoreline was close but the manner of New Zealand’s victory left little doubt about who the better team was. Mahina Paul opened the scoring in the third minute, charging through a gap to set the tone. Jorja Miller followed just two minutes later with a brilliant individual effort — her 41st try of the SVNS season — and though Australia worked their way back into the contest through Isabella Nasser and Maddison Levi, Kelsey Teneti sealed the title with a third New Zealand try before the final whistle.

The result of 19-14 does not entirely capture how commanding New Zealand’s presence was at this tournament. Both sides entered the decider having won all five of their matches across the weekend, but it was New Zealand who looked the more composed when the pressure was highest. The Black Ferns Sevens delivered another of their characteristic performances built on pace, support play and ruthless finishing — the hallmarks of a team operating at a level few rivals have managed to match.

Risi Pouri-Lane, who was named Player of the Final, reflected on what the win meant to the squad. “The girls showed grit and heart and it took a whole squad effort,” she said after the match. Pouri-Lane’s kicking from the tee was equally important in putting New Zealand ahead and keeping them there as Australia pushed hard in the second half.

Jorja Miller, named Player of the Year for the SVNS series, was equally measured in victory. “We love these finals — they’re the moments we live for,” Miller said following the presentation ceremony at Kai Tak Stadium.

Miller’s form throughout the Hong Kong weekend was nothing short of exceptional. Earlier in the tournament she registered a hat-trick in a comprehensive 38-7 dismantling of Japan, with Paul, Pouri-Lane and Katelyn Vahaakolo also crossing the line. By the end of the tournament her seasonal try tally had reached 41, an extraordinary individual record that underlines just how influential she has been in New Zealand’s dominance throughout 2026.

The achievement of four consecutive Hong Kong Sevens titles is a rare one in the history of the sport. The Black Ferns Sevens have only once before claimed four straight victories at a single SVNS venue — in Vancouver — and to do so at Hong Kong, the spiritual home of sevens rugby and the tournament celebrating half a century of its iconic competition, gives this particular run a significance that stretches well beyond just another trophy.

This Hong Kong victory was New Zealand’s sixth tournament win from the 2026 SVNS season. Earlier in the year the team claimed titles in Perth, Dubai, Singapore, Vancouver and New York, where they also locked up the overall SVNS series championship. That series title, confirmed in New York in March, made this the fifth overall SVNS series crown New Zealand’s women’s team have claimed across six recent main series tournaments. Put simply, this group has been the best women’s sevens team in the world for the better part of three years, and they are showing no signs of letting up.

Australia’s Maddison Levi reached a personal milestone of her own in the final, the 261st try of her career, but it was not enough to prevent the Australians from having to settle for silver once again. The two nations have developed one of the most absorbing rivalries in the women’s game, and the final at Kai Tak Stadium delivered all the intensity and skill that rivalry promises. The margin at the final whistle was five points, but it felt closer than that for long stretches.

The All Blacks Sevens had a more mixed weekend in the men’s draw, finishing fourth, with South Africa’s Blitzboks claiming the men’s Hong Kong title in what was another memorable day for sevens rugby.

For the Black Ferns Sevens, attention now turns to the penultimate SVNS event of the season, scheduled for Valladolid in Spain from 29 to 31 May, with the series finale following in Bordeaux in June. With six titles already secured and the series championship locked away, the team will be aiming to close out the season as strongly as they started it and keep extending a run of form that already stands as one of the most impressive in the history of the women’s game.

What makes this team so compelling to watch is not just the winning, but the way they go about it. There is a genuine collective spirit in the way they play for one another, whether that is Miller’s clinical finishing, Pouri-Lane’s composure under pressure, or the growing contributions of players like Teneti and Paul. New Zealand’s depth in sevens is as impressive as the results it keeps producing.

For Kiwi sports fans, the Black Ferns Sevens are offering something worth savouring — a team at the very top of their sport, performing with consistency and flair on the world’s biggest stages.

You can read the full match report at RNZ Sport and at World Rugby SVNS. What are your thoughts on the Black Ferns Sevens and their incredible run of form this season? Share them in the comments below.