Dubai: New Zealand Wins Cup; USA Winless

New Zealand capped off a perfect Dubai tournament by winning the Cup Final over Fiji 31-21. The Kiwis jumped out to a 26-0 lead before  Fiji stormed back to make it interesting. Fiji defeated England in the semifinals 22-21 while New Zealand defeated South Africa 12-7, denying the South Africa squad a repeat in Dubai.

As for the Americans, the Eagles laid an egg in Dubai. The U.S. went 0-5 for the tournament, losing today to Canada 21-12 in the Bowl quarterfinals and then lost to Zimbabwe 29-17 in the Plate semifinals. The Zimbabwe match really pisses me off because the Eagles were up 17-5 at one point before completely choking. Zimbabwe would go on to defeat Tunisia in the Plate Final while Canada would eventually lose to Australia in the Bowl Final.

The U.S. will next head to George, South Africa later this month. The U.S. must improve or it will be a long season of Sevens for the Eagles. The U.S. will play in 5 of the remaining 7 tournaments.