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New Zealand women show mettle

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Noel Prentice

'I think we made it a bit harder on ourselves tonight'

Australia had no chance of winning last night's Hong Kong's Women's Rugby Sevens. The motivating forces were all with New Zealand (Aotearoa) - a turncoat on the other side and a legend waiting to present the winner's trophy.

New Zealand arrived in Hong Kong this week to find their former Sevens captain - Anna Richards - playing in the green and gold of Australia. Shock, was putting it mildly.

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Then, yesterday morning they found out Jonah Lomu would be on the winner's rostrum to shake their hands. The girls were delirious after their 10-0 win.

'Just to meet him is an honour,' said triumphant captain Annie Brown of the former All Black hero-worshipped wherever he went last night. 'It was a real buzz for me.'

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So was 'smashing' the Aussies and in particular Richards, whom Brown had faced many times in New Zealand.

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