Samoans floor Kiwis in Dubai

Dubai - Pre-tournament favourites New Zealand lost unexpectedly to Samoa in the final of Dubai Sevens on Saturday.

At The Sevens Stadium in Dubai, Gordon Tietjens's side lost 26-15, just a few hours after their 15-a-side World Cup winning side had slumped to a 38-21 defeat to England at Twickenham.

It was the third time Samoa had reached the final in Dubai, but the first time they had taken victory having lost championship matches in 2009 and 2010.

The 2009 loss had come to the All Blacks, who have won the title five times in Dubai.

Samoa found their inspiration in Paul Perez, whose two early tries - the first one coming as early as the 14th second - gave the champions a 12-0 advantage, with Patrick Faapale completing the second conversion.

Tries from Ben Lam and Kiwi captain DJ Forbes made it 19-10 at the break, and Kurt Baker reduced the deficit to just four points, but Forbes spilled a pass for Tulolo Tulolo to score and Faapale converted to give his side a lead that they did not relinquish.

New Zealand reached the final after defeating Kenya 27-7, while Samoa beat France 12-5 in their semi-final.

In the quarter-finals, France scored the biggest upset when they beat Fiji, winners of the first leg of IRB Sevens Series in Australia, 8-5.

Samoa moved ahead with a 19-7 win over Wales, while Portugal, who created the biggest upset on the opening day qualifying from their pool ahead of defending champions England and South Africa, could not produce the same magic against New Zealand and lost 28-7.

Kenya beat Canada in the fourth quarter-final 19-7.

The third round of the series takes place in Port Elizabeth next weekend.

Results on Saturday from the Dubai Sevens, the second leg of the IRB sevens world series:

Cup

Quarter-finals

France 8, Fiji 5

Samoa 19, Wales 7

Kenya 19, Canada 7

New Zealand 28, Argentina 7

Semi-finals

Samoa 12, France 5

New Zealand 27, Kenya 7

Final

Samoa 26, New Zealand 15

Plate

Semi-finals

Wales 27, Fiji 5

Canada 28, Portugal 12

Final

Bowl

Quarter-finals

Argentina 24, England 14

Scotland 29, Australia 14

South Africa 25, Russia 12

United States 14, Spain 12

Semi-finals

South Africa 22, United States 12

Argentina 12, Scotland 5

Final

Shield

Semi-finals

Spain 26, Russia 24

England 40, Australia 12

Final

England 26, Spain 5

Standings:

1. New Zealand 38 points

2. Fiji 32 (tie). Kenya 32

4. Samoa 32

5. France 27

6. South Africa 24

7. Argentina 21

8. Wales 18

9. Canada 17

10. Australia 11 (tie). Portugal 11