Fabulous Fiji power to Sevens World Cup victory in Cape Town

Adroit, nimble and long of stride Fiji surged to their third World Cup Sevens title when they crushed New Zealand in Cape Town Stadium on Sunday night.

They won the final 31-12 with a devastating display of power, speed and precision bringing down the curtain on a tournament played across three interminable days.

Fiji were electrifying in the first half running in four tries and they used astute game management to keep New Zealand at arm's length in the second.

Joseva Talakolo's attempt at a try-saving tackle was deemed to be high and he was yellow-carded early in the second half, and though both teams later lost a player each to the bin Fiji kept possession for long enough to eke out a win.

They scored off the last move of the game to crown a superb performance.

The Blitzboks finished in "seventh" heaven. That was the highest place they could finish after defeats to Ireland on Saturday and Argentina on Sunday morning.

They were well below their best.

Apart from the burden of being hosts, the Blitzboks carried the added weight of long time coach Neil Powell's farewell.

Sure, he tried as best he could for it not to be a distraction, but that is easier said than done. The Blitzboks played as if the weight of the world was on them.

They harassed and hurried with familiar fervour but their spot tackles didn't always hit the mark. Their suffocating defence, a discipline that has come to define the team under Powell, was far more forgiving this time around.

In possession their play was often fractured — compromised by uncharacteristic handling errors.

There can be no doubt the defeat to Ireland on Saturday proved hugely deflating, and they struggled to summon the energy and urgency that makes them such a force on the World Sevens Series.

In their seventh-place Cup play-off against Samoa they established an early lead and kept pressing. One final surge for Powell, perhaps.

The passes stuck and metres were gained. Moreover, their defence was rarely tested.

There was an even bigger roar when Angelo Davids produced a dive and roll in the corner but his effort was ruled out as he had put a foot in touch.

Soon after, however, he mastered the bouncing ball after up a grubber to dot down for the second try.

A penalty try served to put the issue beyond doubt as they romped home 35-5.

Davids later spoke passionately about Powell's influence.

“He's been like a father. He's the one who told me never to give up,” he said.

In a cracker of a final Australia's women's team beat their New Zealand counterparts 24-22.

New Zealand appeared to push the game into extra time when Alena Saili scored after the siren, but Tenika Willison's relatively easy conversion attempt drifted agonisingly wide of the left upright.

The SA women's team suffered more indignity when they went down 21-19 to China.

They gave the crowd something to cheer about with their only win on Saturday, but on Sunday their recidivism returned and they again fell off the pace.

The only teams that finished below them are countries best known for the way they are depicted in movies, Madagascar and Colombia.