6 Feb 2011

New Zealand wins Wellington sevens

5:48 am on 6 February 2011

New Zealand has won the Wellington round of the IRB sevens series, beating England 29-14 in the Cup final to draw level with them at the top of the World Series standings after three events.

Declan O'Donnell was the home hero at a rainy Westpac Stadium, scoring a hat-trick in the final to take his tally for the tournament to 10 and secure a first home Cup title for New Zealand since 2008.

New Zealand and England are now tied on 64 points apiece. Samoa lie third with 52, Fiji fourth on 44 and South Africa fifth with 32.

Fiji won the Plate in Wellington, Kenya took the Bowl and next week's Las Vegas hosts USA won the Shield.