Superb individual tries from Charlie Hayter, Tom Mitchell and Phil Burgess gave the England side their first title since the event in Wellington, New Zealand back in 2013.

Cecil Afrika and Justin Geduld crossed over for the Blitzboks but it didn't prove enough to beat a valiant England outfit, although South Africa did manage to maintain their lead at the summit of the Sevens World Series table by virtue of a narrow 7-5 success over Hong Kong event victors Fiji in the semi-final.

The triumph saw Simon Amor's men climb into the top four on the overall leaderboard as they opened up a nine-point lead over nearest challengers Australia, who lost in the Bowl final to the United States.

The teams who finish in the first four positions at the end of the nine-leg series will earn automatic qualification berths for the Rio 2016 Games as rugby sevens makes its debut on the Olympic programme.

South Africa remain in pole position on the overall leaderboard despite their final defeat to England ©World Rugby/Martin Seras Lima



"The way the guys fought for that win was brilliant," Amor said.

"It's fantastic for us and a great climax for us to go back to the UK now.

"I am so proud for the players, they've worked so hard for this."

Earlier on what was an exciting day of action in the Japanese capital, Canada claimed their first-ever win over New Zealand with a 19-15 triumph, which saw them progress to the last four.

Canada provided one of the shocks of the day as they beat New Zealand for the first time to reach the semi-finals in Tokyo ©World Rugby/Martin Seras Lima



Japan's excellent run at the event on home soil came to a comprehensive end as they were thrashed 41-5 by Fiji, while South Africa made light work of Scotland with a dominant 22-0 victory.

England reached the semi-final by beating France 10-0, and they then proved too strong for Canada as they sealed their spot in the showpiece match with a 14-5 win.

Fiji, eager to build on their success in Hong Kong where they lifted the trophy, lost to overall title rivals South Africa in a tense semi-final which saw the Blitzboks squeeze through.

That set up a fascinating final against England and although South Africa suffered a surprise defeat, they remain four points ahead of the Fijians in the race for the Sevens World Series crown.

Elsewhere, a first-half brace from New Zealand's Sherwin Stowers helped them on their way to winning the Plate competition as they beat Scotland 21-14, while the United States ensured they left Tokyo with some silverware by claiming the Bowl title thanks to a 17-12 success over Australia.

The Sevens World Series is set for a thrilling finale and the eighth leg takes place in Scotland on May 9 to May 10.

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