Rugby Sevens: Black Ferns Sevens crowned champions in Vancouver, All Blacks Sevens stumble in final [Video]

Black Ferns Sevens have defended their Vancouver title with a one-sided 35-19 win over France in the final on Monday (NZ time).

Lead by a Portia Woodman-Wickliffe hat-trick, the NZ women ran in five tries to three to claim their first tournament win of the 2023/24 World Series with an undefeated run in Canada.

The gold medals will hang alongside the silvers they won in Dubai and the bronzes from Cape Town, closing the gap in the overall standings behind leaders Australia to six points.

The NZ women made an early statement through Woodman-Wickliffe, who added another dot to her tally as the leading try scorer in women’s sevens, latching on to a slick long pass from Risi Pouri-Lane to go 50m clear and give her side the early lead.

The French responded immediately, as Anne-Cecile Ciofani cut through the defence to square the scoreline, before Michael Blyde danced past …