Orene Ai'i and Brad Fleming could well be future All Blacks but there was little opposition for them. Fiji were a huge let-down in Dubai. There was no Serevi or Vunibaka and when New Zealand took them apart in the final they lost their discipline and all respect as they finished with five men. Sendings-off are rare in Sevens and two in the same match, worse still a high profile final, is unheard of. If people are honest the Dubai tournament was terribly disappointing.
Sevens can be wonderfully exciting but they can also be extremely dull.
In a sixteen team four pool tournament this invariably means the first day is pretty boring. There might be one decent game in each group between the seeded teams and a bit of a scrap between the minnows but all the serious action takes place on the second day in the knockout stages. When they fall flat, as in Dubai, the whole event is a let-down. This has worrying implications for the financial viability of the whole concept. Dubai has been going for 30 years and the organisors have wonderful sponsorship from a number of sources but most importantly Emirates Airlines.