NZ Sevens call on youth
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The All Black Sevens have dropped two veterans and picked up four new caps for the upcoming home series of the Sevens circuit in Wellington.
Dylan Collier, Rieko Ioane, Jack Goodhue and Beaudein Waaka are the new faces while the four players dropped from the preliminary 16-man squad are: Tomasi Cama, Josh Gordon, Lote Raikabula and Murphy Taramai.
Raikabula and Cama miss their third-straight World Series tournament, having missed the cut again this time round.
Collier comes into the team following a stand-out performance for the champion Waikato Sevens team at the recent National Sevens.
He was a member of the Waikato NPC squad in 2013 and 2014.
Ioane captained New Zealand Secondary Schools in 2014. He is another promising player produced by Auckland Grammar and brother of former All Blacks Sevens player Akira Ioane who also made his debut at Wellington last year.
Beaudein Waaka is an inside back and a member of the Taranaki NPC squad in 2013 and 2014. He played for New Zealand Secondary Schools in 2012. Jack Goodhue, a forward, played for Northland Sevens and was a member of Canterbury NPC squad in 2014.
"It’s always good having new and exciting youngsters coming into the side," said coach Gordon Tietjens.
"Reiko is a very quick and agile player with a great step and vision. He has lots of pace and has really impressed me.
"Dylan really excelled at the Nationals. He is a big forward, has great offloading skills and is very fit. He is new to the game, but has still performed exceedingly well.
"Beaudein Waaka also has a great step. He is very exciting to watch and I think he will open a few eyes this weekend. Jack has improved over the last 12 months at a huge rate. He is very fit and a great defender so will add real value.
“We are defending champions in Wellington so there's a lot to play for and it’s always exciting to come to Wellington with the support we have here.
"To perform well is top of our agenda. We got beaten by South Africa in South Africa in the last tournament. But we are on the improve and I would like think we can really nail it at this tournament.
"Winning Wellington will go a long way to adding a few more points to the ladder and towards qualification for the Olympics."
After three legs of the Sevens World Series the All Blacks Sevens are lying third behind Fiji and leaders South Africa.
They must finish in the top four of the World Series to ensure automatic qualification for the Olympics in Rio de Janiero in 2016.
New Zealand Sevens squad: Dylan Collier (Waikato), Scott Curry (Bay of Plenty), Ambrose Curtis (Wellington), Sam Dickson (Canterbury), DJ Forbes (c) (Counties Manukau), Jack Goodhue (Northland), Rieko Ioane (Auckland), Gillies Kaka (Hawke's Bay), Tim Mikkelson (Waikato), Sherwin Stowers (Counties Manukau), Beaudein Waaka (Taranaki), Joe Webber (Waikato).
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