Sam Chapman, 18, will play in the Global Youth Sevens in Auckland, a tournament dubbed "the pinnacle" of youth sevens rugby.
Chapman only found out he had made the final squad of 14 last week.
"It was a bit of a shock."
He had not played much sevens rugby but gave it a try this year and "loved it".
It was a "relief" to know he had been selected for the team.
He travelled to a training camp in Auckland last week to prepare for the tournament, which starts in the city tomorrow.
He was looking forward to making the most of the tournament.
Chapman had played rugby since he was about 5 years old, starting at the Alexandra Rugby Club.
He played for the Dunstan High School 1st XV for two and a-half years and for Otago Boys’ High School this year — his final year of school.
He played No 8 before moving to openside flanker at Otago Boys’.
The New Zealand Fijian Schools team was a pathway for New Zealand-based Fijian school-aged rugby players.
Chapman was looking forward to playing in a team with Fijian culture at the fore.
"It [will] draw me into the culture. Having that Fijian connection is ... pretty cool."
He had also been selected for the Fiji Under-20 Wider Training Squad, which was "exciting".
The final squad will be announced next year, which was motivation to stay fit and keep practising, he said.
In the future, he wanted to play more sevens, while "still [going] hard in fifteens".
