IRB Sevens World Series Tournament Finals

SAN DIEGO - The IRB Sevens World Series USA tournament at Petco Park concluded with New Zealand topping South Africa 27-12 in the Cup Final championship, the highest honor of the tournament. The event, which was held in San Diego for the second consecutive year, was again deemed a success.

Over 36,000 fans enjoyed the rugby action during the two-day event. The attendance figure marked an increase over last year's total of 29,000-plus. The tournament will return to San Diego for the three more years.

The most exciting championship match was the Plate Final between Argentina and Fiji. Argentina maintained a 21-14 advantage with 23 seconds remaining before Fiji scored a try and added the conversion to tie the game at 21-21. The teams played a five-minute sudden-death overtime period to settle the match. In the extra session, Fiji controlled the action and was scored a try late in the period for the 26-21 win.

The USA fell two points short in their bid to win the Bowl title, Wales edged the U.S. 21-19. The Americans tallied a try with under 30 seconds to play, but the two-point conversion failed and the USA lost.

Australia captured the Shield Final with a 24-12 win over Chile. The Shield Final is the lowest of the tournament's titles.

The results of this tournament will be added into the overall series points standings for the eight tournament series. New Zealand came into the tournament as the leader with 60 points , followed by Fiji (36) and South Africa (32). The next tournament will be held in Hong Kong on March 28-30.

Final Results
CUP - New Zealand 27, South Africa 12
PLATE - Fiji 26, Argentina 21, OT
BOWL - Wales 21, USA 19
SHIELD - Australia 24, Chile 12

Photos: The All Blacks (New Zealand ) in semi-final action against Kenya. (NC Sports/Jon Greene)