The beauty of Sevens is that you just never quite know what to expect. Clearly New Zealand had to be hot favourites here, winning the previous two tournaments handsomely. But it is so competitive now at the top you can never be sure. But ultimately Fiji deserve their triumph.

It’s a shame for the New Zealand fans that their side fell short again but it is wonderful for the Series as it throws it all open now with Fiji only four points behind the Kiwis in the overall table.

There have now been four different winners in the previous four years. It suggests no team has a right to win it. Perhaps winning those two tournaments put extra pressure on them to do it here also.

One of half a dozen teams could have won this one though. You look at the likes of Australia beating South Africa for the Plate and that was a real surprise also.

Five-star Fiji

I just loved the quality of the final between Fiji and Samoa. It was the eighth time the two have met in a final and interestingly it’s gone alternately each time, so again impossible to predict. It was the quality and the intensity with them still going at each other after twenty minutes.

The match just went to and fro and reminded me of the final here three years ago when these two played here in Wellington. On that occasion Samoa were 17-0 ahead and they clung on despite Fiji coming back.

Interestingly on that occasion Samoa’s Lolo Lui was a key man but of course he was missing from Saturday’s final – suspended for a high tackle in the previous game.

But this time around it was Fiji who got their revenge.

Both sides’ forward skills and ball winning skills were outstanding. The might of that Fijian front three counted by the unquenchable energy of that much smaller Samoa forward line.

Vucago v Mai

The Fijians possess wonderfully athletic forwards, 6ft 5 and 17 stone but combine that with agility, handling and dexterity. The edge for Fiji came through having someone like Kolinisau who I think has been absolutely brilliant in this tournament. He makes the breaks and he finishes them too.

You had two of the greatest ever playmakers opposite each other in Fiji’s Emosi Vucago and Samoa’s Uale Mai.

Captain Vucago has the vision, you seem him glance up and things can happen in a moment. And of course Mai, who scored that amazing hat-trick against New Zealand that fired his side into the weekend’s finale. He who was coming back from playing no rugby at all since returning from the 15-a-side national team in UK back in November.

But Fiji ultimately had the edge.

Canada’s impressive teenagers

The tournament as a whole lived up to expectation I thought. It is one of the greatest and I think it always will be. 36,000 people and they have a frolic and it is fun and games for them with literally everyone in fancy dress. But saying that, there is still the most upmost of attention when it comes to the big games.

Other memories were how Canada stepped up to the plate. They have had a lean time last season but new man Morgan Williams has brought in a host of youngsters, 18-year-olds and 17 year-old school boys. They did so well to reach the latter stages of the Cup for the first time in ages.

England didn’t quite manage to defend their title, losing their captain Kevin Barrett in the process. But importantly they got to blood some new players. I thought they were so competitive in their semi-final against Fiji. The likes of Brightwell and Turner did well and didn’t Don Barrell impress in his first event. I think coach Ben Ryan will be satisfied and his new team are beginning to settle.

African dilemmas

South Africa are the side who probably suffered the most here. Winning that Plate would have been consolation enough but they weren’t good enough I’m afraid.

Maybe they don’t quite have the forward power at the moment. Let’s not forget they are missing seven players who fired them to that inaugural IRB Sevens World title last year and like England their time will come again once the new players are settled.

Another side who might be disappointed is Kenya. They have an average ‘tournament cap’ of 22 per player. That is far and away more than anyone else, New Zealand included. If they aren’t going to do these things now, when will they reach the highest height?

More of these questions are set to be answered next week when the USA Sevens will head to Las Vegas for the very first time. It will as always be fascinating to see who can step it up to the required level.