'Our victory was a reflection of our belief that we could win,' says elated US coach

If the United States ever decide to nickname Jovesa Naivalu, they could start with 'Lazarus' after the strapping American twice brought the United States back from the dead - and to Plate glory.

Naivalu scored the sudden-death try in the Americans' 24-19 win over Portugal in the semi-finals and the 23-year-old computer processor came to his side's rescue once again when he nailed the all-important match winner that sealed the Eagles' 31-26 victory over Wales in the final.

Naivalu's exploits may not be as epic as the biblical character, but he was pleased to make a significant contribution as the United States won their third Hong Kong Sevens Plate in five finals. 'I feel grateful that I was part of this team. We stuck together as a team and we all had the belief that we would somehow overcome a deficit to win it,' said Naivalu, whose team were down 19-7 at half-time.

'I had no idea that I would be there again to score, especially after scoring in sudden death against Portugal. We just needed to stay alert and do our jobs and everybody did their job well.'

'I saw the chance and I seized it. I didn't expect it that way and certainly I didn't think I would score another sudden-death penalty. It's just an uplifting experience for me.'

The Welsh side, beaten in two sevens finals in South Africa and New Zealand this year, were looking to make it a case of third time lucky. And they almost made it a weekend to remember after racking up tries by David Weatherly, Gareth Baber and Gareth Bowen to steal a march at half-time.

But the Americans, whose last trophy success was winning the Bowl in the World Cup Sevens here in 1997, displayed the kind of never-say-die bravado that put them back in the championship picture.

Jason Raven first gave his side hope with a try at the start of the second half, but the Welsh response was quick and Emyr Lewis put his side back in the firing line when he ran through to score his team's fourth try, the conversion coming from Bowen.

The score was 26-14 in Wales favour. The Welsh thought they had done enough to seal their first-ever win in Hong Kong. But the Americans had other ideas and the fans were treated to a comeback that pushed the match into extra time.

First came Raven's second try, sprinting clear on the right flank and then came Kevin Whitcher's try which he celebrated with a dive under the posts. Raven converted to make it 26-all. But it was Naivalu who came to the fore again as he eluded three Welsh backs to score one minute, 27 seconds into extra time.

United States coach John McKitterick said the team displayed an unwavering belief they could win. 'Our victory was a reflection of our belief that we could win. We have been training for this kind of situation. We never gave up hope and thankfully we had the rub of the green.

'Even when we were down 19-7 at half-time, I told my team if Wales could score 19 points, why can't we? The difference was in our belief and in our strength and I am very proud of my team,' said McKitterick, who hails from Wellington, New Zealand.

McKitterick only took over from Tommy Smith as head coach last December, but already his success speaks for itself with five wins against one loss over the weekend, their only defeat coming at the hands of South Africa 22-0 in their pool match. The US also defeated Fiji 12-10 in the Wellington Sevens on their way to the Cup semi-finals.

'I am quite a passionate coach. I am not over the top and I gave my team some talk that they should believe in themselves. That's why we have done so well and it all comes from the training we have done,' said the Kiwi, a sevens specialist from North Harbour.

McKitterick then turned his attention to hero-for-the-day Naivalu. He said: 'Naivalu is an exciting prospect, although he is still green to the game. At times he looked a bit lost, but he has made tremendous strides during the past 10 weeks. He keeps on and he's definitely an exciting prospect.'

McKitterick added: 'We had a really good second half. I think the difference against Wales was our strength too. We played really well against South Korea [US won 14-10) and that set the tone for us for the rest of the way.

'The atmosphere in this stadium is like a giant mardi gras [carnival]. To say the place walks is an understatement.'

Wales coach Colin Hillman was surprised by the American comeback. 'They did well to come back, but once we dropped the ball at the kick-off [in extra time] and lost possession that killed us off. This is the third final we have lost but this was the closest of them all. We played some nice rugby, but in the end it wasn't enough,' said Hillman. 'I'm very disappointed that we didn't win, but the lads should be applauded for playing well all weekend.'

Naivalu also came to his side's rescue, scoring the sudden-death try that gave the Americans an improbable win over Portugal for a place in the final.

This time, Naivalu capitalised on a terrible blunder by Portuguese captain Rohan Hoffman, who threw his pass too wide and Naivalu picked it up and ran in to score.

'I have been playing rugby for four years. I play both sevens and 15s rugby. I am pretty much a full-time player. This has been an unforgettable weekend,' said Naivalu.

The United States defeated Korea 14-10 in the quarter-finals, while Wales reached the final by first thrashing China 43-0 in the last eight and then beating France 24-7 in the semi-finals.

Graphic: PLAT02GST