Both NZ sevens sides lose players to illness and injury

Liam Napier

The New Zealand women’s sevens team has been hit by the mumps, with Ruby Tui contracting the virus and placed in isolation on the Sunshine Coast.

The sevens team was scheduled to travel to the Gold Coast athletes’ village today, one day before the Commonwealth Games start, but with all players now needing to be assessed, they will remain in isolation until medical checks are carried out.

A joint statement from New Zealand Rugby and the NZ Olympic Committee said the team would stay in camp on the Sunshine Coast until Sunday, April 8. The women’s team starts competition on April 13.

Mumps is a highly contagious virus, particularly in its early stages, and there will now be fears it will spread through the team.

The New Zealand medical team lead and team psychologist will travel to support the sevens side on the Sunshine Coast today.

A mumps outbreak started in Auckland last year and spread to the, All Blacks ahead of their northern tour, with Jack Goodhue, Rieko Ioane and Luke Romano all contracting the illness.

Tui’s case may rule her out of the Games and continues an eventful build-up for the men’s and women’s teams, both of whom have already lost players to injuries.

It was announced yesterday Kat Whata-Simpkins had suffered a leg injury and would miss the Games. That saw Tenika Willison promoted into the squad of 12 and Alena Saili join the team as the travelling reserve.

Emergency appendix surgery has ruled Caleb Clarke out of the men’s team. The 19-year-old was welcomed into the Gold Coast athletes’ village on Monday, only to be swiftly transferred to a Brisbane hospital.

Clarke, the Blues wing named MVP at the Brisbane Global Tens tournament this year, is understood to have not been able to eat on Monday and went under the knife yesterday.

The timing of his illness, two days out from the Games, could not be worse, but at least he is young and likely to get another crack in future.

Clarke, originally named 13th man, is the second player to be ruled out of the New Zealand team after young playmaker Ngarohi McGarvey-Black was forced to return home after injuring his ankle in a warm-up match against Australia. Etene Nanai-Seturo, left out of the initial squad, flew to the Gold Coast as a replacement for McGarvey-Black on Sunday.