Rookie Clinton Sills completed a stunning Rugby Sevens World Series debut finishing as the tournament's equal top tryscorer as Australia claimed the Plate trophy on Saturday.

Eliminated by Samoa with a sideline goal in the dying seconds of their quarter-final, Australia recovered to beat defending champions South Africa 7-0 in the plate final, with Sills scoring the match-winner deep into overtime of the first half.

It took Sills' tally to nine tries for the tournament, tied with New Zealand's Sherwin Stowers.

The Kiwis were crowned champions with a 24-12 win over Samoa in the Cup final.

The tournament win gave New Zealand an early lead in the world series with 24 points, ahead of Samoa (20), England (16) and Fiji (16). Australia collected 12 points.

The iRB Sevens World Series moves to George in South Africa next week (December 11-12) for the second leg of the eight-stop series.

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