Australia Women's Sevens have claimed five straight Dubai titles after taking down New Zealand 28-24 in the Final.
In a back-and-forth effort, Tim Walsh's side established their dominance with a thrilling victory that saw them take the lead late through try-scoring weapon Maddison Levi.
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In a week when Bella Nasser took the captaincy over from Charlotte Caslick, it was fitting the pair proved the difference as they rebounded from their Olympic disappointment in style.
Nasser rallied the Australians from the opening whistle, getting the turnover from the second phase of the game as tries to Faith Nathan and Teagan Levi gave Australia a 14-0 lead.
The skipper then scored a great solo try before the break to give Tim Walsh’s side a nine-point advantage at the break.
The Kiwis were never going to go away easy and stunned the Aussies with a second-half surge.
Theresa Setefano got NZ back into the contest after a well-worked scrum set-piece and when Manaia Nuku crossed, the defending Olympic champions suddenly had a three-point lead.
Up stepped Maddison Levi, snatching an intercept on her goal line as she raced 80 meters for a crucial try with two minutes to go. It was her 15th try of the event and the most by an individual in a single tournament.
New Zealand threw everything at Australia, desperate for a comeback win.
Ultimately, it was fitting that the former captain Caslick was the hero, isolating the Kiwi attacker at the breakdown for the penalty with 30 seconds to go that allowed Australia to kick the ball into touch for the win.
"(It's) pretty incredible. I'm lost for words with how I feel right now," Nasser said post-match.
"I'm on the verge of tears but also laughing and so happy. I'm so proud of the girls and how they showed up tonight and for the rest of the tournament.
"We just have such a tight-knit group. The young girls really showed up today and I'm sure they will (for) the rest of the season. We've got such a young and mature group, so the best is yet to come, so I'm super excited.
"The Black Ferns are always such a hard team to play and it's always such a good rivalry. They're such a good sport and my favourite team to play both on and off the field.
"I think we just love the vibe of playing here and we love the weather. It's a dry field and I think it just really suits the way that we like to play," Caslick added, mobbed by her teammates after her award.
"I think every year we roll out more and more young girls and it shows the depth of our program. I think the reason that we do so good here is the fact that our program is so strong."
