Hosts Australia have denied the Black Ferns Sevens the women's title at the Perth Sevens.
Risi Pouri-Lane missed a potential game-tying conversion with just over a minute remaining for New Zealand in a 28-26 defeat in an instant-classic Cup final at Perth's Optus Stadium on Sunday (Monday morning NZ Time).
LATEST HEADLINES:
In a back-and-forth final, the Black Ferns struck first, with Michaela Brake (nee Blyde) going over in the opening minute, her milestone 250th try, before Heidi Dennis answered for Australia the next minute.
The hosts took the lead for the first time in the sixth minute, with Kelsey Teneti sending the teams into the halftime break tied at 14-14.
Charlotte Caslick and Dennis gave Australia 21-14 and 28-21 leads, sandwiching Brake's second five-pointer in the 10th minute. Pouri-Lane crossed out wide in the 13th minute but could not convert to level the scores.
Earlier on Sunday, the Black Ferns defeated France 36-7 in the semifinals to reach their third straight final this season.
Brake scored four tries, including three in a four-minute span either side of halftime, turning the game into a blowout at 22-0. Jorja Miller and Dhys Faleafaga followed it up for 36 unanswered points, before France grabbed a consolation score.
The Black Ferns still lead the women's series standings by two points over Australia after three events, with the Vancouver Sevens next on the calendar from February 21-23.
Meanwhile, the All Blacks Sevens rebounded from the disappointment of failing to qualify for the quarterfinals for just the fifth time in the series' 26-season history, with a 19-12 come-from-behind win over Kenya.
After opening the scoring in the third minute through Regan Ware, Kenya scored two tries before halftime to lead 12-7. An Andrew Knewstubb try and conversion gave New Zealand the lead, before Dylan Collier sealed the victory in the 13th minute.
Having reached the semifinals just once in three tournaments, the injury- and retirement-hit ABs Sevens side sits seventh in the series standings, 20 points behind co-leaders Fiji, Argentina and Spain.