Fiji Airways Fijiana fell short of a podium finish at the HSBC New York Sevens, coming away fourth after a 26-17 defeat to the United States in the bronze medal playoff on the final day of the tournament. The Fijiana started brightly with two tries from Reapi Ulunisau but were undone by a late USA surge in front of a raucous home crowd.
Ulunisau opened the scoring within seconds of play after a clever wrap-around pass put her into space and she powered past the USA defence to touch down in the corner. The Americans answered almost immediately when Su Adegoke produced an offload in contact for skipper Kristi Kirshe, who sidestepped past cover to score under the posts; Sariah Ibarra added the conversion to edge the USA 7-5. Adi Vani Buleki then forced a turnover from a kick-off error, feeding Ulunisau for her second try and giving Fiji a 10-7 lead.
The momentum swung before half-time as Sammy Sullivan shrugged off two would-be tacklers to sprint past the sweeper and score, putting the USA back in front at 14-10 after the conversion. The visitors could not stem the USA’s pace after the break: in the 11th minute Kaylen Thomas finished a well-worked set-piece scrum move to extend the lead to 21-7, and later Adrian Ramsey produced a scintillating solo run from a 22-metre scrum inside Fiji territory to make it 26-7 and effectively seal the result.
Mere Vocevoce provided a late consolation for the Fijiana, cutting through on an attacking break to score behind the posts and close the gap to the final 26-17 scoreline, but the deficit proved too large to overturn. The defeat denied Fiji a medal in New York, where they had shown early promise but were ultimately undone by the American backline’s speed and finishing in the second half.
Across the series, the Fijiana collected 64 points and finished sixth overall in the World Rugby Sevens Series standings. New Zealand claimed the tournament title in a dramatic final, edging Australia 22-21 to secure their fifth tournament win of the season and clinch the series crown.
The New York result leaves the Fijiana with clear positives — notably Ulunisau’s finishing and flashes of cohesion in attack — but also questions about defending against pace and set-piece execution that cost them momentum. The squad will have opportunity to address those issues as the series moves on, with the New York weekend now concluded and teams turning attention to the next circuit stops.
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