'It is not over yet, but the victory will go a long way towards retaining the title,' said New Zealand coach Gordon Tietjens, thrilled the drought had finally ended at the Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens, the fifth in the eight-leg series.

'It has been a long time between drinks, but we played very well. Our physicality in contact and our ball retention were the keys to victory,' said Tietjens after his class of 2008 extended their record winning streak to 42 matches and seven tournaments.

In statistical terms, what this black machine has achieved is awesome. They have now played 540 minutes of sevens rugby without losing. Nine hours of winning performances, a magnificent feat by any standard. The last time they lost was last April, to Fiji at the Adelaide Sevens.

'This team will be remembered,' said captain Forbes.

Wales, Fiji and South Africa will not forget them in a hurry. New Zealand dispatched Wales 26-7 in the quarter-finals, thrashed Fiji 34-0 in the semis and then coasted to Cup victory over South Africa.

'They are definitely one of the best sevens teams to come out of New Zealand. Their record speaks for itself,' conceded beaten captain Neil Powell. 'We knew we had to bring something special to the table but we couldn't. They are a special team.'

The victory increased New Zealand's lead in the IRB Sevens standings over second-placed South Africa to 38 points.

'They will have to slip up badly to lose the title from here. And we will have to win the rest of the tournaments. I think it is over,' said Powell.

Super forwards Forbes, Edwin Cocker and Steven Yates provide the power and possession. Combined with the silky running skills of Lote Raikabula, the dancing Tomasi Cama - named Best and Fairest Player - and the sheer presence of Victor Vito and Zar Lawrence they are an invincible unit.

A Raikabula brace and one try each from Yates and Lawrence put New Zealand in the driving seat. They led 21-7 at the break and Lawrence's try in the second minute of the second half put them out of danger.

'They have no weaknesses. These same guys have played in the last seven finals and they know what to do. Our inexperience let us down,' said South African coach Paul Treu.

It was only the second time South Africa had reached the Cup final in Hong Kong - the last time being at the 1997 World Cup, when the team boasted such illustrious names as Chester Williams and Joost van der Westhuizen.

'This is a bunch of no big-name players and to reach the final is creditable. But then the guys got caught up in the moment,' said Treu. 'We tried to muscle up at ruck time but they were always in control. Once they scored early, it was always going to be difficult to play catch-up.'