Samoa 7s strike Commonwealth Youth Games gold

Samoa edged England in the boys' 7s event to win gold at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Nassau, Bahamas.

The first half between Samoa, bronze medallists when they hosted the 2015 edition, and England was a tense affair with the Pacific Islanders only taking the lead late on when Kelvin Masoe (pictured) broke free to score.

Frank Tato then finished off a free-flowing move to give Samoa a 10-0 lead but England ensured a nervous end to the match after Oliver Sleightholme, the son of former England international Jon, touched down to cut the deficit to five points.

There was no way back for England, though, and the final whistle sparked the Samoan celebrations at winning the gold medal. It was Samoa's second victory over England in the six-team competition, having won their round-robin match 19-7 en route to finishing second in the standings.

Fiji were the only side to beat the champions with a 15-14 win in the pool stages and they ensured there would be two Pacific Island nations on the podium with a 28-14 defeat of Canada in the bronze medal match. Sri Lanka finished fifth after a 43-5 win over their hosts Bahamas, the only side not to record a victory in the competition.

 

Photo by Samoa Rugby Union: Caption: Samoa are the gold medal winners at the Commonwealth Youth Games 2017