3 Feb 2013

NZ women's sevens still lead World Series

5:43 pm on 3 February 2013

The New Zealand women's sevens team remains in the lead in the IRB World Series after two rounds, despite only finishing fourth at the second leg in Houston.

Australia beat them 17-12 in the third place playoff, in sudden death extra time - after the New Zealanders lost to England 19-12 in the semi-finals.

But they're still four points clear of the Australians in the overall standings, and six ahead of England, who went on to complete a memorable weekend for the country's sevens campaign with a 29-12 victory over hosts the USA in the Texas final.

That followed the English men's win over Kenya to claim the Wellington title on Saturday.

The women's series is at the halfway stage, with tournaments still to come in China at the end of next month, and the Netherlands in mid-May.