Coach Tomasi Cama has rewarded NPC form in selecting Oli Mathis (Waikato) and Sofai Maka (North Harbour) for their first international sevens tournament, while Joey Taumateine graduates from the New Zealand sevens development team.
Experience comes in the form of captain Dylan Collier, Joe Webber and Sione Molia, all whom have more than 50 caps for the team.
Cama said the debutants all had exciting potential.
Mathis, a product of Hamilton Boys’, starred in the New Zealand Schools team in 2023, before an impressive debut season for Waikato that included time on the wing, even though he is a natural flanker.
"We had a training run against Hamilton Boys’ High School last year and that is where we first saw Oli," Cama said.
"He went on to have a great season for Waikato, so we brought him in to train with us. He is eager to learn and loves sevens so we are excited with his speed and physicality."
Maka has played NPC for both Auckland and North Harbour and previously played in the Blues under-20s.
"Sofai has the potential to become a great sevens player. We saw in the NPC he makes a lot of line breaks, scores a lot of tries; he understands the game well and with a few injuries in our midfield he gets his opportunity."
Taumateine was a member of the New Zealand under-18 sevens team last year, and earlier this year travelled to France with the New Zealand development team.
"I’ve been lucky enough to spend a bit of time in our sevens schools environment the last few years and Joey is the most recent of a number of players who have come through that pathway," Cama said.
"He has great speed and footwork for a prop, which will be his point of difference."
Another new but familiar face to the All Blacks Sevens is assistant coach Willie Rickard, who played eight tournaments in the black jersey between 2006 and 2009.
It is something of a new era in the absence of stalwarts Tim Mikkelson, Scott Curry and Sam Dickson. — APL
All Blacks Sevens
The squad
Dylan Collier (captain), Jayden Keelan, Andrew Knewstubb, Oli Mathis, Sofai Maka, Ngarohi McGarvey-Black, Sione Molia, Tone Ng Shiu, Lewis Ormond, Brady Rush, Joey Taumateine, Codemeru Vai, Joe Webber
