New Zealand's women's rugby sevens team were greeted by friends and family on Tuesday (9th August) after they won silver in the first women's Olympic rugby tournament.

SOUNDBITE: (English) Sarah Goss, New Zealand women's rugby sevens captain:

(On winning a silver medal)

"Just to be able to do this alongside eleven other amazing athletes is a dream come true. Ultimately we didn't get the gold medal which is what we set out to do. But to bring home a silver medal for New Zealand is a massive achievement and I just hope we can make New Zealand proud by doing so."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Ruby Tui, New Zealand women's rugby sevens player:

(On the response from New Zealand)

"There was literally hundreds of messages. I haven't even read all of them. We've been sharing them with each other, there's been lots of tears. It really made us understand what we did achieve. We did lose in the final, but we won the journey we won the medal we won for New Zealand, we won for women's rugby. There was so much positive stuff that came out of it so there's such huge thanks that has to go back home."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Sarah Goss, New Zealand women's rugby sevens captain:

(On what the medal means after all the sacrifices they've put in)

"It makes everything worthwhile. You get up early, we were training all day, you're coming home and pretty much just sleeping. The amount of time we spent away from home, our sport travels around the world for six months of the year, so we hardly ever see our family and loved ones. Just to be able to give back to them is a massive thing and I'm sure that I'll be celebrating this success with all my family not just here but also back home."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Sarah Goss, New Zealand women's rugby sevens captain:

(On how rugby sevens and the women's game has caught attention both in New Zealand and abroad)

"That's our team's vision. It wasn't just about the performance, it was about growing a legacy for future girls to grow into. We wanted to be able to create a path where we built the game, we showed the world how amazing (rugby) sevens is and how amazing women athletes are. To be able to do that on an Olympic stage is pretty amazing. I'm sure there was a lot of coverage that was going on around the world and hopefully girls will pick it up and say 'Mum and Dad I really want to play rugby and go to the Olympics'."