NZ lift China title

In driving rain and difficult conditions in south east China, similar to last year's weather at the same venue, New Zealand defeated Australia 26-12 to push their close rivals into second place.New Zealand had a point to prove following the last round in Brazil, when Australia beat them easily in the final.Captain Huriana Manuel was delighted with the win, after defeating France and Fiji on the way to the final."I'm so proud of the girls. We worked so hard and the conditions were really tough out there.""We really wanted to work on our defense this weekend because we weren't happy with it after Brazil. It worked well. Onto the next tournament now," added the captain.

In the final it was Australia who scored first, with Emily Cherry going over but the Kiwis hit back through Sarah Goss and Manuel to lead at halftime.

Despite losing Honey Hireme to the bin in the second half, NZ grabbed more scores through Carla Hohepa and Portia Woodman to win it.Canada finished the tournament in third place after beating Fiji in the final, Jen Kish's team beating a side that surprised many this weekend with wins over England and Russia.Ireland beat hosts China to win the bowl final while England claimed the plate final at the University Town Stadium, easily beating France.New Zealand's Portia Woodman claimed an IRB Women's Sevens World Series record this weekend, when she became the first player to score 12 tries in one round of the Series. The record was previously held by her team-mate Kayla McAllister.

The core teams now have a break until next month in Amsterdam, where a Series champion will be crowned.