Magical Serevi leads Fiji to Sevens triumph

Fijian rugby wizard Waisale Serevi flew back to France last night a happy man.

Serevi conjured up his magical brand of seven-a-side rugby to lead his country to its ninth Hong Kong Sevens title at the Hong Kong Stadium yesterday, beating New Zealand 21-12 in the Cup final.

'Today is Children's Sunday in Fiji and I dedicate this win to all the little children back home,' said Serevi soon after receiving the Cup from chief guest Tung Chee-hwa. 'I also dedicate this win to my two young daughters.' Hours later, Serevi was on a plane to France, where he plays second division club rugby for Bordeaux.

A crowd estimated at around 30,000 watched Serevi, 29, guide Fiji past Canada and Australia into the final, where an Eric Rush-led New Zealand tried in vain to stop the reigning world sevens champions.

Two second half tries from the tournament's leading try-scorer, Marika Vunibaka - he scored 12 in all - sealed the victory.

The win earned Fiji a US$120,000 (HK$928,000) purse which will go towards the Fijian Rugby Union's 15-a-side World Cup campaign.