USA third place at Dubai Sevens gives notice of growing stake in global game | Martin Pengelly

Two sevens wins over New Zealand, a professional league looming and the nation’s fastest growing team sport – the US now offers rugby the richest prizeAt the Dubai Sevens last weekend, USA beat New Zealand twice. They finished third after losing contentiously to England but the salient fact remained: no Eagles side had ever beaten an All Blacks team in any form of the game. If Dubai had been the Olympic sevens in Rio next August, USA would have had bronze – the mighty New Zealanders, nothing at all.Through the World Series and the coming Olympics, sevens is stoking growth in the global game. T…