NZ sevens team forced into changes

New Zealand have lost the services of Tim Mikkelson and Vilimoni Koroi for the Vancouver Sevens this weekend.

Mikkelson has been a mainstay of the side for nearly a decade, and his loss will be sorely felt by coach Clark Laidlaw and his team.

Koroi, meanwhile, has been New Zealand’s creative heart during the World Rugby Sevens Series, and is near irreplaceable.

Luke Masirewa and Kurt Baker have been brought into the 12-man squad as injury replacements, with Sione Molia the 13th man.

‘‘Tim is a mainstay of the team so playing without him is something

no-one wants but it gives guys a chance to step up,’’ Laidlaw said.

‘‘Dylan and Luke will have to play some big minutes, so that’s great for them. Losing a star playmaker like Vili gives Andrew and Ngarohi a chance to play in that position, so we see it as an exciting opportunity.’’

New Zealand play Scotland, Russia and South Africa in their pool in Vancouver, following a fifth-place finish in Las Vegas.

They remain in second place in the series, 10 points back from leaders South Africa and just ahead of third-placed Fiji.

‘‘It’s been frustrating the last couple of tournaments because we haven’t quite put a full game together,’’ Laidlaw said. ‘‘We tried to simplify things this week and create a really clear focus for the team.’’

New Zealand plays Scotland first, at 6.30am Sunday.