MOSCOW, July 1 — New Zealand overwhelmed England 33-0 to claim their second rugby Sevens World Cup on a treacherous pitch at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow yesterday.

Heavy rain and a number of earlier matches played beforehand created a sodden, muddy pitch before the final but the New Zealanders still handled a wet ball as if it were dry.

Tim Mikkelson crossed for tries at the start and end of the first half, with Tomasi Cama converting his own try in between to give New Zealand a 21-0 lead at halftime.

Gillies Kaka crossed for his fourth try of the tournament to make it 28-0 with two minutes remaining and England’s misery continued as Waisake Naholo touched down with seconds remaining.

New Zealand last lifted the Melrose Cup in 2001 when they defeated Australia 31-12.

“It’s been a long time between drinks,” New Zealand coach Gordon Tietjens said. “It was an outstanding performance in these conditions. They stuck to their game plan and played with heart out there.”

New Zealand, who defeated defending champions Wales in the quarter-finals earlier in the day, beat great rivals Fiji 17-0 in the semi-finals.

The match was halted for over an hour due to bad weather midway through the first half with the Kiwis leading 12-0 after tries to Mikkelson and DJ Forbes.

Following thunder, torrential rain fell and the players were taken from the field for safety reasons.

The break did not appear to unsettle New Zealand as they added one further score to Bryce Heem to run out 17-0 winners.

New Zealand also won the women’s final, defeating Canada 29-12.

Rugby sevens has been introduced into the Olympic Games and will make its debut at Rio de Janeiro in 2016. — Reuters