New Zealand will face Fiji in a crunch quarter-final after going through the opening day of the World Sevens tournament unbeaten in sweltering Sydney yesterday.
It will be another quarter-final between the two Sevens powerhouses after the Fijians beat them at the same stage in last weekend’s tournament in Wellington.
New Zealand topped their pool after wins over Australia, Papua New Guinea and Scotland, while Fiji were shocked 28-15 by Wales in their group to set up the quarter-final with the Kiwis.
Kiwi star Tim Mikkelson said the hot weather in Sydney had been challenging, with more heat forecast today.
“You need to get the ball to beat Fiji and if we can get the ball from the kick-offs we can make it a contest and really go forward on attack,” Mikkelson said.
“Recovery is huge, hydration too. A few boys are cramping up and I hear it’ll be even hotter tomorrow so we’ll have to be even better.”
In today’s other quarter-finals, Australia will play Wales, England take on Argentina and the United States face South Africa.
England finished top of Pool A with wins over Kenya, Japan and South Africa.
They defeated series leaders South Africa 21-15 in their final match of the day having started the tournament with an impressive 19-12 victory over Kenya.
England also had a comfortable four-try 26-0 victory over Japan. The Springboks had wins over Japan and Kenya before being edged by England in their final pool match.
“We never managed to pick up any momentum as the day progressed,” coach Neil Powell said.
“Last week we managed to build up steam, but today we just could not do the same.
“In a way, this was a good thing to happen, because our character will now be tested. It will be interesting to see how we shape up tomorrow against America.”
Australia qualified for a quarter-final against Wales after finishing second in Pool C with wins over Scotland and Papua New Guinea.
Tim Mikkelson of New Zealand (L) in action yesterday.
