Star names set to join sevens
New Zealand Rugby are readying themselves for an announcement that will have huge implications on the world of sevens in the coming year.
Up to 10 Super Rugby and All Blacks players will be named as part of Gordon Tietjens’ expanded New Zealand Sevens squad for the 2016 season which includes the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
While star names such as Beauden Barrett and Ben Smith have recently said no to the lure of Olympic gold, the squad is still set to be packed with star power.
It will be a mix of proven sevens experience and pure X factor.
Former sevens players Liam Messam, Victor Vito and Julian Savea are likely to be named in the squad, and having played the game they will know what is expected in the sevens environment.
Sonny Bill Williams will also be named in the squad, although he will have one of the hardest transitions into the sevens game given the strict physical demands of the sport.
All four of those players will need to undergo a physical transformation to get into sevens shape, particularly loose forwards Messam and Vito.
Since packing on muscle for their roles on the back of the scrum, Messam and Vito have lost some of the pace they had when playing sevens.
While sevens players are bigger since Messam and Vito last played under Tietjens, a serious change in size should still be expected.
For Savea and Williams the transformation will also result in less body mass, with fitness the key for both players.
Savea returned to the All Blacks fold overweight this season, something he won’t get away with under Tietjens, and while Williams is a supreme athlete, he will likely hit fitness levels he has never experienced.
Those players will be required to compete in at least four of the 10 tournaments in the 2015-16 World Rugby Sevens Series to prove their fitness heading into Rio.
Although they would be intriguing prospects, don’t expect to see Nehe Milner-Skudder, Waisake Naholo or Malakai Fekitoa in the sevens set-up next year.
All three players have the ability to be stars in the abbreviated game, and Naholo has already done so, but with All Blacks spots up for grabs heading into the 2017 British and Irish Lions tour they are likely to want to impress All Blacks coach Steve Hansen, not Tietjens, in 2016.
All Blacks veterans Israel Dagg and Cory Jane could be in the mix, however, having previously played under Tietjens.
Super Rugby players Akira Ioane, Ben Lam and Pita Ahki are other possibilities to return to the sevens field.
The difficulty will be in making sure one Super Rugby franchise is not affected more than the others, with the likes of the Hurricanes boasting several potential sevens stars.
And while Barrett and Smith have said in the past week that they won’t be in the sevens mix next year, all hope is not lost for fans hoping to see the exciting pair in Rio.
While they have said no now, there is likely to be some flexibility for players of their calibre and proven sevens experience come 2016.
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