SYDNEY // Teenager Rieko Ioane scored a dramatic last-gasp try to give New Zealand a 27-24 win over Australia in a thrilling final on Sunday and dash hopes of a home triumph in the inaugural Sydney Sevens.
With time having already expired, Ioane silenced the 37,000 crowd at the Sydney Football Stadium by securing a hat-trick to give the All Blacks back-to-back titles after their Wellington triumph on home soil last weekend.
Ioane, 18, was named player of the tournament for his seven tries but his 20-year-old brother Akira, who set up Rieko’s first try with a trademark burst down the sideline, won the Man-of-the-Match award after another tackle-busting performance.
Read more: Sonny Bill Williams will need to reshape himself for sevens success
Australia, under new coach Andy Friend but without marquee Wallabies signing Quade Cooper, never trailed in the final until Ioane crossed at the death and will take confidence from their performance over the weekend.
“They had us on the ropes in the first half,” said New Zealand captain Tim Mikkelson.
“We know from last week what kind of lift you get from your home crowd. We just needed the ball, we’re a difficult team to beat when we have the ball.”
Fiji, beaten 14-12 in the semi-finals by the All Blacks, will depart for the next round in Las Vegas top of the series standings on points difference after their victory over pacesetters South Africa in the third-place play-off.
The Fijians, South Africa and New Zealand are all tied on 69 points after four rounds of the 10-stop championship, which this year is acting in part as preparation for rugby’s return to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August.
Australia and Argentina have 54 points in fourth and fifth place.
New Zealand might yet drop down a spot or two, however, after World Rugby announced they were investigating pictures that appeared to show they had eight men on the pitch in their victory over Australia in the pool stage on Saturday.
Sonny Bill Williams is probably the biggest name to have quit the 15-man game in a bid for Olympic glory but the twice World Cup-winning All Black had a mixed final on Sunday.
He showed his athleticism with a brilliant try-saving tap tackle in the early minutes of the final but was sin-binned later in the same half for a high tackle on Australia’s Allan Fa’alava’au.
Apart from the final result, organisers could not have asked for a better weekend after more than 73,000 fans, many of them in fancy dress, created a truly festive atmosphere at an event which had languished on the Gold Coast for the last few years.
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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INDIA'S%20TOP%20INFLUENCERS
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
The End of Loneliness
Benedict Wells
Translated from the German by Charlotte Collins
Sceptre
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Brief scores:
Day 1
Toss: South Africa, field first
Pakistan (1st innings) 177: Sarfraz 56, Masood 44; Olivier 4-48
South Africa (1st innings) 123-2: Markram 78; Masood 1-4
TCL INFO
Teams:
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
UNpaid bills:
Countries with largest unpaid bill for UN budget in 2019
USA – $1.055 billion
Brazil – $143 million
Argentina – $52 million
Mexico – $36 million
Iran – $27 million
Israel – $18 million
Venezuela – $17 million
Korea – $10 million
Countries with largest unpaid bill for UN peacekeeping operations in 2019
USA – $2.38 billion
Brazil – $287 million
Spain – $110 million
France – $103 million
Ukraine – $100 million
Abu Dhabi racecard
5pm: Maiden (Purebred Arabians); Dh80,000; 1,400m.
5.30pm: Maiden (PA); Dh80,00; 1,400m.
6pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan National Day Cup (PA); Group 3; Dh500,000; 1,600m.
6.30pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan National Day Cup (Thoroughbred); Listed; Dh380,000; 1,600m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup for Private Owners Handicap (PA); Dh70,000; 1,400m.
7.30pm: Handicap (PA); Dh80,000; 1,600m
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ZAYED SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
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