International sevens looms for some of the country’s brightest talents with New Zealand Sevens Development teams travelling to France for two tournaments.

The teams are made up of a mix of contracted sevens players, and emerging talent as the wider sevens programme continues to build depth and expose players to top level sevens.

New Zealand Rugby Sevens Pathways Manager Dan Goodwin said that the tour has several objectives.

“It is going to provide essential preparation for contracted players who won't be attending the Madrid event, ensuring they're primed for peak performance leading into the 2024 Olympics.

“On top of that, it's a great opportunity for up-and-coming development players to immerse themselves in our environment, potentially paving their way as future prospects post-Olympics,” said Goodwin.

Teams will first play at the Howard Hinton Sevens in the town of Tours, before travelling to Haguenau for the EAAST 7s.

All Blacks Sevens Assistant Coach Rodney Gibbs will coach the men’s team alongside Shaun Simpson while Blair Baxter and Kristina Sue combine to coach the women’s team.

An exciting mix of development players have been selected, including Canterbury pair Grace Brooker and Rosie Kelly who have international experience with the Black Ferns. Several players have previously been involved in the Ignite7 talent identification tournaments including Cameron Church, Olive Watherston and Rico Syme.

New Zealand Men’s Sevens Development Team
Joey Taumateine (Counties Manukau)

Che Clark (All Blacks Sevens)

Roderick Solo (All Blacks Sevens)

Ngarohi McGarvey-Black (All Blacks Sevens)

Jai Tamati (Manawatu)

Xavier Tito-Harris (All Blacks Sevens)

Jayden Keelan (All Blacks Sevens)

Fletcher Carpenter (Bay of Plenty)

Cameron Church (Counties Manukau)

Rico Syme (Bay of Plenty)

Lewis Ormond (All Blacks Sevens)

Brady Rush (All Blacks Sevens)

New Zealand Women’s Sevens Development Team

Kelsey Teneti (Black Ferns Sevens)

Terina Te Tamaki (Black Ferns Sevens)

Justine McGregor (Black Ferns Sevens)

Dhys Faleafaga (Black Ferns Sevens)

Kelly Brazier (Black Ferns Sevens)

Maia Davis (Manawatu)

Kerri Johnson (Northland)

Olive Watherston (Bay of Plenty)

Grace Brooker (Canterbury)

Angelica Mekemeke-Vahai (Auckland)

Holly Wratt-Groenweg (Canterbury)

Rosie Kelly (Canterbury)

Tournaments

Howard Hinton Sevens, 24-26 May

EAAST 7s, 1-2 June