New Zealand Rugby welcomes ongoing support for Sevens Olympic campaign

Dec 15 • General News, International • 1512 Views • Comments Off on New Zealand Rugby welcomes ongoing support for Sevens Olympic campaign

New Zealand rugby’s quest for two golds in Sevens at the 2020 Olympics has been reinforced with an investment commitment from High-Performance Sports New Zealand (HPSNZ) announced today.

New Zealand Rugby today acknowledged HPSNZ for its ongoing support of the sevens programme, as the All Blacks Sevens and Black Ferns Sevens seek to build from Rio 2016.

HPSNZ has rewarded Rio Olympics silver medalists the Black Ferns Sevens with an additional $100,000 in 2017 and an additional $200,000 in each of 2018, 2019 and 2020 taking their support to $1.2 million per year.

New Zealand Rugby General Manager Rugby Neil Sorensen said the funding would strengthen the team’s ability to prepare for Tokyo.

“I want to thank High-Performance Sports New Zealand for their ongoing support of rugby sevens. The partnership with High-Performance Sports New Zealand is an important one and one we truly value.

“We are grateful for the confidence shown by High-Performance Sports New Zealand in the Black Ferns Sevens. Their silver in Rio has built the profile of the women’s game and contributed to growth in women’s rugby generally. Recognising this success with additional funding means the team will be even better placed to win gold in Tokyo.”

The All Blacks Sevens funding has been reduced from $1.2 million per year to $900,000 in each of 2017 and 2018.

“We accept the decision to reduce funding for the All Blacks Sevens. The team is rebuilding, with a new coach appointed to start next year and new players coming through. We are in the early stages of building towards Tokyo and are looking forward to delivering better results on the field.

“We have a strategic goal of winning two gold medals in Tokyo. We have taken our learnings from Rio, are developing new players, have appointed new coaches to both teams who are backed by a talented management group working with both teams. With High-Performance Sports New Zealand’s support, we are confident we will be in the best possible position in 2020 to deliver on the faith they have shown in us.”