New Zealand teams win men's and women's titles at the Hong Kong Sevens

HONG KONG (AP) — New Zealand won the men’s and women’s titles at the Hong Kong Sevens on Sunday to cap off a tournament that sets a scene for rugby at the Paris Olympics.

The All Blacks Sevens scored the first two tries in a 10-7 win over France in the men’s final to successfully defend their title and bring an end to the three-day carnival in the traditional home of the rugby sevens format.

Michaela Blyde scored three tries in a player-of-the-final performance and Mahina Paul crossed for a late double in New Zealand’s 36-7 win over the United States for the women’s title.

It was the third consecutive tournament title for the Black Ferns Sevens and moved them above Australia in the women’s world series standings.

After a free-flowing women's final, the men's decider was dominated by defense. France denied the New Zealanders a try with some desperate covering defense late in the first half and it remained a 0-0 stalemate at the break.

Scott Curry scored the opening points when he dived into the left corner after New Zealand took two quick penalty taps. Cody Vai swooped after an errant pass from a backpedaling French lineup to score soon after, but New Zealand only led 10-0 after missing both conversions.

Varian Pasquet scored right on fulltime to close the gap to three points, but France had to end the final with a conversion rather than a kick restart because time was out.

“Man, what a final,” Curry said. "That first half was so tough. So physical. Credit to France, that was a tough match.

“This place is so special. It means a lot to our team. It’s the one tournament we put up there — we want to win here every year. To do it again, it’s awesome.”

The New Zealand men ousted two-time Olympic gold medalist Fiji with a last-minute try in the quarterfinals on Saturday and had too much firepower for Australia in the semifinals with a 26-7 win.

For the New Zealand men, it was a 68th tournament title in the world series. The French fell just short of a third title overall, and second in about a month as they continue to build momentum toward the Olympics.

France ended its long sevens drought by winning the Los Angeles title on March 4 with Antoine Dupont in the squad.

Without Dupont this time, the French only narrowly missed out. He's widely expected to play for the home nation in July when Paris hosts the Olympics.

They made it to back-to-back deciders with a commanding 26-10 semifinal win in Hong Kong over Ireland, which rallied to beat Australia 14-5 for the bronze.

The Australian women won bronze with a late 24-21 win over France in the third-place playoff, scoring three quick tries after falling behind 21-7.

That came on the rebound from a semifinal when the Australian women conceded the last three tries in a 28-14 loss to New Zealand.

The women's final was lopsided, with New Zealand scoring three tries before the U.S. cut the margin to 17-7 at halftime.

The U.S. women were playing their first cup final this series, reaching the gold medal game after Jaz Gray's tip-toe run down the right sideline sealed a 19-5 semifinal victory over France.

But the American women weren’t able to build any momentum in the second half as the Olympic champion New Zealanders turned on the speed.

“We wanted to come to Hong Kong with the mindset of a peak tournament, so we treated it like it was an Olympic Games,” Blyde said after scoring her hat-trick in the final. “Obviously, it’s a good feeling right now. We’re going to put our foot to the pedal even more when we get home – it’s only going to get harder.”

The next stop in the global sevens series is Singapore from May 3-5.

AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby

New Zealand's Jorja Miller runs with the ball during the women's final match in the Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament in Hong Kong, Sunday, April 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

New Zealand's captain Risi Pouri-Lane tackles Lauren Doyle, captain of team United States, during the women's final match in the Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament in Hong Kong, Sunday, April 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

New Zealand's players celebrate after winning the men's final match against France in the Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament in Hong Kong, Sunday, April 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

Australian players celebrate after winning the third place match against France during the women's third place match in the Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament in Hong Kong, Sunday, April 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

Ireland's Hugo Lennox runs to score during the men's third place match in the Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament in Hong Kong, Sunday, April 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

Australia's Michael Hooper takes a selfie with fans at the end of the men's third place match between Australia and Ireland in the Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament in Hong Kong, Sunday, April 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

Seraphine Okemba, center, of France is tackled by Kristi Kirshe of the United States during the women semifinal match in the Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament in Hong Kong, Sunday, April 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

New Zealand's Jorja Miller runs with the ball during the women's final match against the United States in the Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament in Hong Kong, Sunday, April 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

New Zealand's Jorja Miller avoids a tackle during the women's final match against the United States in the Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament in Hong Kong, Sunday, April 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

New Zealand's Moses Leo is tackled by Aaron Grandidier Nkanang from France during the men's final match in the Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament in Hong Kong, Sunday, April 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

New Zealand's Portia Woodman-Wickliffe runs with the ball during the women's final match against the United States in the Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament in Hong Kong, Sunday, April 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

New Zealand’s Tepaea Cook-Savage runs with the ball during the men’s final match against France in the Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament in Hong Kong, Sunday, April 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday apologized to his Azerbaijani counterpart for what he called a “tragic incident” following the crash of an Azerbaijani airliner in Kazakhstan that killed 38 people, but stopped short of acknowledging that Moscow was responsible.

Putin’s apology to President Ilham Aliyev came as allegations mounted that the plane had been shot down by Russian air defense systems attempting to fend off a Ukrainian drone strike near Grozny, the regional capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya, where the plane was heading.

Here are some things to know about the crash that killed 38 out of the 67 people on board:

Azerbaijan Airlines’ Embraer 190 was en route from the Azerbaijani capital of Baku to Grozny in the North Caucasus on Wednesday when it was diverted. It crashed while trying to land near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan, after flying hundreds of kilometers (miles) east across the Caspian Sea.

The plane went down near the coast about 3 kilometers (2 miles) from Aktau. Cellphone footage circulating online appeared to show the aircraft making a steep descent before hitting the ground and exploding in a fireball.

Rescuers rushed 29 survivors to hospitals.

Kazakhstani, Azerbaijani and Russian authorities say they are investigating the crash. Initial theories put forward by various officials included possibilities of a bird strike, bad weather and an oxygen canister exploding aboard the plane.

Embraer told The Associated Press in a statement that the company is “ready to assist all relevant authorities.”

Dmitry Yadrov, head of Russia’s civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia, said Friday that as the plane was preparing to land in Grozny in deep fog, Ukrainian drones were targeting the city, prompting authorities to close the area to air traffic.

Yadrov said that after the captain made two unsuccessful attempts to land, he was offered other airports but decided to fly to Aktau.

Later on Friday, senior officials in the U.S. and Azerbaijan made separate statements suggesting the plane may have been brought down by weapons fire, echoing those made by aviation experts who blamed the crash on Russian air defense systems responding to a Ukrainian attack.

Rashan Nabiyev, Azerbaijan's digital development and transportation minister, told Azerbaijani media that “preliminary conclusions by experts point at external impact,” as does witness testimony.

“The type of weapon used in the impact will be determined during the probe,” Nabiyev said.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said that the U.S. has "seen some early indications that would certainly point to the possibility that this jet was brought down by Russian air defense systems,” but refused to elaborate, citing an ongoing investigation.

Those statements echoed assessments by outside aviation experts and raised pressure on Russia.

Some aviation experts have said the holes seen in the plane’s tail section after the crash indicate that it could have come under fire from Russian air defense systems fending off a Ukrainian drone attack.

Mark Zee of OPSGroup, which monitors the world’s airspace and airports for risks, said that the analysis of the fragments of the crashed plane indicates a 90-99% probability that it was hit by a surface-to-air missile.

Osprey Flight Solutions, an aviation security firm based in the United Kingdom, warned its clients that the “Azerbaijan Airlines flight was likely shot down by a Russian military air-defense system.”

Osprey CEO Andrew Nicholson said that the company had issued more than 200 alerts regarding drone attacks and air defense systems in Russia since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

FlightRadar24 said in an online post that the aircraft had faced “strong GPS jamming” that interfered with flight tracking data allowing it to monitor the plane's flight path. Russia has extensively used sophisticated jamming equipment to fend off drone attacks.

Yan Matveyev, an independent Russian military expert, noted on Thursday that the images of the crashed plane’s tail show damage compatible with shrapnel from the Russian Pantsyr-S1 air defense system.

It’s unclear why the pilots decided to fly across the Caspian Sea instead of trying to land in Russia after the plane was hit, he said, adding that they probably faced restrictions on landing at a closer venue and may have thought that the damage was not critical.

In Azerbaijan, Caliber online newspaper also claimed that the airliner was fired upon by a Russian Pantsyr-S air defense system and also had its systems affected by jamming equipment as it was approaching Grozny.

Putin on Saturday apologized to his Aliyev “for the fact that the tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace.”

An official Kremlin statement issued Saturday said that air defense systems were firing near Grozny airport as the airliner “repeatedly” attempted to land there on Wednesday, but did not explicitly say if one of them brought the plane down.

According to a readout of the call provided by Aliyev’s press office, the Azerbaijani leader told Putin that the plane was subjected to “external physical and technical interference,” although he also stopped short of explicitly blaming Russian air defenses.

Aliyev noted that the plane had multiple holes in its fuselage and that the occupants had sustained injuries “due to foreign particles penetrating the cabin mid-flight.”

Azerbaijan observed a nationwide day of mourning on Thursday. National flags were at half-staff, traffic across the country stopped at noon, and sirens were sounded from ships and trains.

Both Putin and Aliyev said Saturday that experts from Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan had begun probing the incident, and were launching inquiries in both Grozny and Aktau. Moscow has launched a criminal investigation into the crash.

Flowers and portraits are placed at the Consulate of Azerbaijan in the memory of victims of the Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 that crashed near the Kazakhstan's airport of Aktau, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

In this image taken from video released by the Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service, rescuers transport wounded passengers from a medical plane after the Azerbaijani Airline crashed, near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau, upon their arrival at the Zhukovsky airport outside Moscow, Russia, on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)

St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov lays a bunch of flowers at the Consulate of Azerbaijan in the memory of victims of the Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 that crashed near the Kazakhstan's airport of Aktau, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

Azerbaijan's national flag at half-mast in the memory of victims of the Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 that crashed near the Kazakhstan's airport of Aktau, is seen in front of a Government's building in the center of Baku, Azerbaijan, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Aziz Karimov)

The wreckage of Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 lays on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Azamat Sarsenbayev)

Azerbaijan's national flag at half-mast in the memory of victims of the Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 that crashed near the Kazakhstan's airport of Aktau, is seen in the center of Baku, Azerbaijan, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Aziz Karimov)

In this photo released by Kazakhstan's Emergency Ministry Press Service, rescuers work at the wreckage of Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 lies on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (Kazakhstan's Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)

In this photo taken from a video released by the administration of Mangystau region, Members of an investigation committee and local officials walk past the wreckage of Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 lying on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (The Administration of Mangystau Region via AP)

In this photo taken from a video released by the administration of Mangystau region, a part of Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 lies on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (The Administration of Mangystau Region via AP)