Fiji claim Singapore Sevens title in late comeback

There's just no stopping them.

In the dying seconds of last night's Singapore Sevens final at the National Stadium, Fiji turned defeat into victory, thanks to Alasio Sovita Naduva, who used his blistering pace to tip the game in their favour.

In the process, the Olympic champions leapfrogged South Africa at the top of the HSBC Sevens World Series standings - with just the London and Paris legs to go.

Naduva's late show came soon after John Porch thought he had sealed the win for the Australians by giving them a 22-21 lead.

But Naduva had other ideas.

With the clock ticking down, the referee ruled that Australia had knocked the ball on and awarded Fiji a scrum on their own line. From there, Naduva evaded tackle after tackle to score the final try which sealed a 28-22 win.

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This is the first time Fiji have won the HSBC Singapore Sevens since the series returned to the Republic in 2016.

The victory also follows their record-breaking feat of winning the Hong Kong leg of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series four times on the trot this month.

We’ve got two more tournaments that we need to operate exactly (in this way).Fiji coach Gareth Baber, on his team maintaining their form until the end of the Sevens World Series

While Fiji coach Gareth Baber was visibly elated by his side's stunning comeback, he urged them to sustain their stellar form for the two remaining legs .

He said: "For me, it's great the way that we've been playing and that shows you that those things you're putting into practice are working. The reality of it is how much it works the next time.

"We've got two more tournaments that we need to operate exactly (in this way)."

Fiji started the match brightly, charging ahead 14-0 after a brace of tries by Waisea Nacuqu, which were complemented by successful conversions.

But Australia staged a late comeback as the first half wound down, with Dylan Pietsch and Maurice Longbottom grabbing a try each to close the gap and end the half 14-10.

The Pacific Islanders wasted no time getting back into the game as captain Jerry Tuwai pounced on a loose ball, wriggled free from a sea of yellow bodies, and burst down the pitch to send his team 21-10 up.

A try by Australia's Brandon Quinn and a conversion by Porch narrowed the deficit, before Porch thought he had won it for Australia.

Fiji, who had defeated Commonwealth Games champions New Zealand 24-19 in the quarter-finals before slipping past South Africa in the semis with a 12-10 comeback victory, have a four-point lead over South Africa, who finished fourth in Singapore after losing 26-24 to England in the bronze play-off.

Earlier in the afternoon, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) won the Under-14 Singapore Schools Sevens Series title after pummelling Saint Andrew's 31-0.