New Zealand Seven's Trial Squad for upcoming Commonwealth Games

[nickdnz]

New Zealand Sevens coach Gordon Tietjens has named a 22-man trial squad for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in October.

The trial squad includes Steinlager Series All Blacks Adam Thomson and Zac Guildford and New Zealand Maori try-scoring hero Hosea Gear. New Zealand Under 20 standout Julian Savea, whose form at the recent Junior World Championship in Argentina saw him named the IRB Junior Player of the year, has also been named in the Sevens trial squad.

Tietjens said he was pleased with the depth of the players coming into the trial camp.

"We have a good mix of current Sevens national squad members and quality players coming in from other national teams," he said.

The players will assemble in Mount Maunganui from today (Monday) until Thursday. A 14-man squad for the Commonwealth Games will be named next month.

The players will then assemble for a two-day camp in Auckland on 23-24 August and then again on 29 September before departing for Dubai on 1 October. The 14-man squad will stay in Dubai for five days and 12 players will then travel on to Delhi for the Commonwealth Games.

Players not considered for the trial camp due to injury are Sean Maitland (shoulder), Tim Nanai-Williams (hamstring), Lelia Masaga (knee), Kendrick Lynn (groin), Jared Payne (ankle) and Scott Waldrom (hand).

Commonwealth Games New Zealand Sevens trial squad:

Toby Arnold - Bay of Plenty
Kurt Baker - Taranaki
Beauden Barrett - Taranaki
Tomasi Cama - Manawatu
Edwin Cocker - Auckland
DJ Forbes - Counties Manukau
Robert Fruean - Canterbury
Hosea Gear - Wellington
Zac Guildford - Hawke's Bay
Jason Hona - Bay of Plenty
Solomon King - Bay of Plenty
Zar Lawrence - Bay of Plenty
Fritz Lee - Counties Manukau
Brendon Leonard - Waikato
Tim Mikkelson - Waikato
Lote Raikabula - Manawatu
Julian Savea - Welllington
Ben Smith - Otago
Ben Souness - Taranaki
Sherwin Stowers - Counties Manukau
Adam Thomson - Otago
Save Tokula - Waikato

http://www.allblacks.com/news/13459/NZ-Sevens-trial-squad-for-2010-Commonwealth-Games
Since Hosea Gear isn't getting the chance he deserves as an All Black, he gets consolation in a chance for a a Commonwealth gold medal. The trial squad is looking pretty lethal. I'd like to see Gear and also the impressive 2010 junior player of the year, Julian Savea in the squad. I'm always really impressed with how Gear stays in New Zealand and works hard for the AB jersey, even though he could earn it big over seas. The trial squad has a mix of experienced and tested sevens players such as Cama, Forbes and Lawrence mixed with proven 15's specialists such as Gear, Thompson and Fruen. Looks like a quality squad for the Commonwealth Games.

 

[William18]

That is a really good team. A lot of good players are going to miss out.

 

[nickdnz]

I'd probably go with a 14 man team like

Forwards
DJ Forbes (c)
Adam Thompson
Ben Sousness
Soloman King
Fritz Lee
Backs
Tomasi Cama
Robert Fruen
Hosea Gear
Zar Lawrence
Sherwin Stowers
Save Tokula
Julian Savea
Zac Guildford
Kurt Baker

Brendon Leonard wouldn't make my squad, and this one looks pretty lethal in my opinion. Pitty there is no Lelia Masaga, he would be awsome.

 

[TRF_Cymro]

Quite a scary squad to be honest!

 

[Darwin]

A really exciting look squad. I would like to see Ben Smith involved in the final squad, as I think he has all the skills required to make an exceptional sevens player.

Playing (and training for) sevens under Tietjens could be very beneficial for a number of the fringe AB's. If Gear can be made to lift his workrate (which needs to be very high in sevens) it will be very benifical - it could be exactly what Gear needs. Thomson will hopefully rediscover his running game - something which he excelled at a few years ago, but seems to have lost lately.

 

[ranger]

I'd probably go with a 14 man team like

Forwards
DJ Forbes (c)
Adam Thompson
Ben Sousness
Soloman King
Fritz Lee
Backs
Tomasi Cama
Robert Fruen
Hosea Gear
Zar Lawrence
Sherwin Stowers
Save Tokula
Julian Savea
Zac Guildford
Kurt Baker

Brendon Leonard wouldn't make my squad, and this one looks pretty lethal in my opinion. Pitty there is no Lelia Masaga, he would be awsome.

Theres a bit of a lack of playmakers in that selection. I don't think Leonard is suited to sevens but he may get the nod due to the lack of playmakers available.
I would go with:

Forwards:
DJ Forbes
Ben Souness
Soloman King
Jason Hona
Adam Thompson
Fritz Lee

Halves:
Tomasi Cama
Beuden Barrett
Ben Smith
Brendon Leonard

Backs:
Hosea Gear
Julian Savea
Sherwin Stowers
Zac Guildford/Robbie Fruean
Zar Lawrence

 

[nickdnz]

Theres a bit of a lack of playmakers in that selection. I don't think Leonard is suited to sevens but he may get the nod due to the lack of playmakers available.
I would go with:

Forwards:
DJ Forbes
Ben Souness
Soloman King
Jason Hona
Adam Thompson
Fritz Lee

Halves:
Tomasi Cama
Beuden Barrett
Ben Smith
Brendon Leonard

Backs:
Hosea Gear
Julian Savea
Sherwin Stowers
Zac Guildford/Robbie Fruean
Zar Lawrence

That's true, but I don't think Leonard or Smith are experienced enough 7's players to be good play makers. Tomasi Cama is out main play maker anyway, so providing he plays all game, I figured we'd bee all right. Can see reason why you'd add a few more though, fair call. Perhaps a few too many forwards? There is 15 men in your squad, but looks good all the same. Guildford is just there as a high profile player, not really as a great 7's player

 

[ranger]

That's true, but I don't think Leonard or Smith are experienced enough 7's players to be good play makers. Tomasi Cama is out main play maker anyway, so providing he plays all game, I figured we'd bee all right. Can see reason why you'd add a few more though, fair call. Perhaps a few too many forwards? There is 15 men in your squad, but looks good all the same. Guildford is just there as a high profile player, not really as a great 7's player

The only real problem i have with Cama is that he is a little bit ****.. He is amazingly overrated, it gets on my nerves that he is an automatic selection because he has never really impressed me from the outset and in the current team he is near the only playmaker in the team, thats the reason we started losing in my opinion. Leonard and Smith aren't experienced sevens players, but i have found in the past that experience doesn't really matter too much in sevens. Beuden Barrett had only played one secondary schools sevens tournament and the regional one in Queenstown before being selected for the NZ outfit. All you really need is the main footballing skills they have shown in 15s.

And yeah i wanted to bracket Hona and Leonard together but they were in different categories so i just put them both down and hoped noone would count! I don't think Guildford is that great but he could be a great sevens finisher. A better version of Kurt Baker

 

[nickdnz]

But...I like Baker. I've seen him do some pretty impressive stuff. I also like Cama, but he is getting on a bit. The funny thing about Cama, is he was moved into 4 different positions during the NPC. He was a replacment scrum half, a inside and outside centre and also played a game on the wing with Lote Raikabula. I think he would have made a good 15's scrum half. He is also NZ's best drop goal kicker in 7's.

 

[Darwin]

Not sure how much 7's some of the 15's specialists have played, but I do know that Ben Smith played in the national sevens tournament at least twice, so he does have some sevens experience.

I noticed neither of you have Lote Raikabula in your squad. I haven't seen much sevens at all this year - is he playing poorly? I'm not a huge fan of his, but he does have a lot of experience;

I will just pick a squad of 12, as although 14 will be originally selected only 12 will actually go to the Commonwealth games:

DJ Forbes
Adam Thomson
Solomon King
Ben Souness
Lote Raikabula
Tomasi Cama
Ben Smith
Zar Lawrence
Kurt Baker
Sherwin Stowers
Hosea Gear
Julian Savea

 

[ranger]

But...I like Baker. I've seen him do some pretty impressive stuff. I also like Cama, but he is getting on a bit. The funny thing about Cama, is he was moved into 4 different positions during the NPC. He was a replacment scrum half, a inside and outside centre and also played a game on the wing with Lote Raikabula. I think he would have made a good 15's scrum half. He is also NZ's best drop goal kicker in 7's.

Baker is pretty sharp, but he seems to have the same skill set as Guildford and well, Zacs an All Black so he must do it better. Im not sold on Cama at all, he seemed to do well in his younger days as a backup playmaker, coming on for 2 minutes here and there, but he has been very average at running the whole show.

As for Raikabuka, he seems to have lost a lot of pace, he has been moved into the forwards for the last few tournaments but NZ already have a whole lot of quality forwards so i say cut him. I really don't buy in to the need to have experience in sevens, it really isnt anywhere near as important as in 15s. You need a couple of old heads sure, but you shoudn't be keeping a guy in there because hes experienced.

 

[Gavin]

Was there not talk about Sonny Bill Williams getting a chance to play in the Commonwealth Games if he came back to New Zealand?

 

[Conal]

gear is sevens i feel sorry for whoever has to face him

 

[Darwin]

Commonwealth Games team officially announced: (http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/news/3986694/Commonwealth-Games-rugby-sevens-squad-named)

Toby Arnold (Bay of Plenty)
Kurt Baker (Taranaki)
Tomasi Cama (Manawatu)
DJ Forbes (captain, Counties-Manukau)
Hosea Gear (Wellington)
Zac Guildford (Hawke's Bay)
Tim Mikkelson (Waikato)
Lote Raikabula (Manawatu)
Ben Smith (Otago)
Ben Souness (Taranaki)
Sherwin Stowers (Counties-Manukau)
Adam Thomson (Otago)

On-Standby:
Solomon King (Bay of Plenty)
Julian Savea (Wellington)

A largely predictable squad - great to see Ben Smith included. I would have liked to see Savea in the squad (instead of maybe Guildford/Arnold), but they do already have plenty of strike-power out wide with Gear and Stowers. I'm not a huge fan of Mikkelson, and would probably have preferred King (or maybe Hona). All in all though this squad should be more than good enough to win the gold.

 

[nickdnz]

Meh, Wellington could do with Savea in their squad anyway. Looks like a very good squad.

 

[-D-S-B-]

Great to see Adam Thompson in there, he's a brilliant 7's player with good pace and power. Like the look of that squad, some amazing pace with Stowers, Guildford and Smith (and the rest of them I guess )

 

[William18]

Apparently, Savea wanted to be in the squad that badly. He had some concerns about security, didn't like the culture of the team and wanted to focus on the ITM cup.

 

[Muzzy]

Commonwealth Games team officially announced: (http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/news/3986694/Commonwealth-Games-rugby-sevens-squad-named)
Ben Smith (Otago)

ok this guy has got to be the most overrated player in the country right now

he made the all blacks last year after doing **** all for otago and the highlanders, now he's made the nz sevens team after barely playing any sevens rugby at all. has this guy ever even played sevens for nz?? i don't understand it, i've been watching him this season in the itm cup too and he still he hasn't done ****. maybe they're trying to develop him so they're putting him in these teams hoping he'll get better or something

 

[William18]

I don't know how Smith made the All Blacks in the first place. It's pretty clear that that was a mistake, there must be 10 better wingers in this country than him.

 

[nickdnz]

I don't know how Smith made the All B;acks in the ifrst place. It's pretty clear that that was a mistake, there must be 10 better wingers in this country than him.

I said this last year, and I had a battering. He makes an alright centre, but as a wing he's too slow. They chose him because he can catch and kick, but I think that was Graham Henry taking the concern over fielding high balls, a little too far.