Kiwis up against sevens minnows
It’s not often New Zealand rugby is mentioned in the same breath as Kazakhstan, Colombia and Tunisia, but that’s the unlikely reality facing the New Zealand women’s sevens team at the Youth Olympic Games.
The first Kiwi rugby side to qualify for the Youth Olympics, New Zealand are one of just six teams participating in the women’s competition in Buenos Aires, and many of their biggest rivals are missing.
With each National Olympic Committee limited to participating in just one team sport for each gender at the Games, and no country allowed to send two sevens teams, it creates opportunities for fringe countries to get a taste of toplevel sevens.
New Zealand nominated their women’s sevens side after qualifying through Oceania, which already eliminates many of their closest challengers. With Australia, Samoa or Fiji all missing, it leaves an eclectic mix of teams who have qualified — who will surely lag behind New Zealand’s array of promising talent.
While the abrupt and somewhat random nature of sevens can be the great equaliser, unless Kazakhstan, Colombia or Tunisia stun the sevens world, it seems a surefire thing that New Zealand will be returning home with a medal – and head coach and former Black Ferns captain Victoria Grant is going for gold.
“We are confident that we have a team that will push hard for a gold medal,” said Grant.
Their toughest tests will come from France and Canada — both strong contenders on the world sevens circuit — but New Zealand can call upon some high-level talents in their quest for gold, with Risaleaana Pouri-Lane and Jazmin Hotham both having spent time with the Black Ferns Sevens squad. “Risi and Jazmin are involved with the Black Ferns Sevens team so bring a real level of experience and professionalism to the squad,” said Grant.
Pouri-Lane is the youngest player to be professionally contracted with the Ferns, and although she didn’t play at the Commonwealth Games, she was a part of the gold-medal winning team as a travelling reserve. The 18-year-old is expecting a similarly good result at the Youth Olympics. “We’re all pretty excited, we were stoked with how we went at the Oceania Qualifying Tournament after only spending a few weeks in camp together so that’s a good sign.”