All Blacks Sevens team for Dubai Sevens and Port Elizabeth Sevens named

Nov 21 • General News, International, Sevens Rugby, Sevens World Series, World Rugby • 2546 Views • Comments Off on All Blacks Sevens team for Dubai Sevens and Port Elizabeth Sevens named

Coach Gordon Tietjens has named the following 12 players to take part in the next two tournaments of the HSBC Sevens World Series; Dubai Sevens (29-30 November) and the Nelson Mandela Bay Sevens at Port Elizabeth (7-8 December). The team departs for Dubai on Sunday 24 November.

The team is:

Tomasi Cama
Scott Curry
Ambrose Curtis
Sam Dickson
DJ Forbes (capt)
Bryce Heem
Gillies Kaka
Tim Mikkelson
David Raikuna
Lote Raikabula
Sherwin Stowers
Joe Webber

Gordon Tietjens said he was pleased to have such an experienced squad for the next two tournaments.

“It’s important that you have those experienced players around you, but the team is really the form players that have performed right throughout the week, they have trained very well, are very very fit.”

The team includes nine players from the side that won the first tournament of the series in October in Gold Coast. Gillies Kaka, one of the form players of the 2012/13 season returns after injury for his first tournament of the new season and World Cup team member Bryce Heem is also back in the side after a strong ITM Cup season with Tasman.

“With Gillies Kaka, a very good player, one of the best in the world, the player of the World Cup so it’s great to have him back from injury. Bryce Heem has come out of a pretty good year with Tasman and again someone who is very big, fast, fit and knows the game and he is going to add a lot of strength to our side.”

The All Blacks Sevens won in Port Elizabeth last year, but have not won in Dubai since 2009, having been runner up last year.

“Dubai support us in a lot of ways with the expats that are there. There are heaps of Kiwis and it’s a great tournament to win. It’s a very tough pool with Kenya, the French and Portugal, and you have to beat every team to win it, so it’s going to be tough, but I am sure if our guys play to their potential and play with the real hunger we have displayed this week, they can go well.”