Afeleke Pelenise scored the last try for New Zealand in the final

The All Blacks thrashed Samoa 34-5 to win their second tournament in a row and force Fiji, last year's champions, into second place in the standings.

Fiji paid a heavy price for their quarter-final loss to underdogs Wales.

A place in the last four would have clinched the series title for Fiji, but Wales denied Waisale Serevi's team.

New Zealand coach Gordon Tietjens said his team had showed real character to win the title.

"It's such a surprise - no-one really gave us a chance," he told BBC Sport.

"We were trailing in fourth for a long time, but we kept going right to the end. I know the guys are really proud and they deserve to be - they were magnificent."

Wales' campaign came to an end with a 28-0 semi-final defeat at the hands of New Zealand, but the All Blacks certainly owed Dai Rees' side a debt of gratitude.

Tries from Rhodri McAtee, Tal Selley and Wayne Evans helped the Welsh to a shock 21-14 win, with Fiji missing a late chance to level when Semisi Naevo Saukawa dropped the ball over the line.

"We learned a hell of a lot when we played them down in Twickenham last week," said coach Rees.

"There was a lot of self belief in our team."

Scotland lost 22-10 to Argentina in their quarter-final, while England beat Portugal 31-0 in the Bowl final.

The IRB World Sevens Series takes place over eight tournaments, with teams earning points depending on how far they progress at each event.