Vito to focus on fifteen-man game
Gordon Tietjens will be without the services of Victor Vito for the final two legs of the IRB Sevens World Series.
Gordon Tietjens will be without the services of Victor Vito for the final two legs of the IRB Sevens World Series.
Vito, who has been the star of the season for New Zealand, has been withdrawn from the squad so that he can focus on the full version of the game.
Whilst Tietjens will miss the influence of Vito he is aware that his latest star needs to focus on his all-round development.
“Victor made a tremendous impact on the Sevens team and the Series in his debut season but a player's overall rugby development is also important and in Victor's case it was thought he should concentrate on fifteens-specific training over the next few months,” Tietjens said.
To that effect Tietjens has named a 15-man squad for a training camp before heading to London and then Edinburgh for the final rounds of this season's tournament – a tournament the New Zealand side have dominated, winning all but one of the rounds to date.
The five-day training camp will take place at Mt Maunganui next week and Tietjens is looking forward to the last stretch of the season.
“This camp is important because we will need to get the players back into competition mode,” Tietjens said.
“We were disappointed with our results in Adelaide after such a good performance in Hong Kong but we have put ourselves in a good position to win the Series and it is important to go into London with a positive attitude.”
New Zealand lead the Series with 126 points, ahead of South Africa, 92 points, and Fiji, 74 points. Tietjens will name his final squad of twelve after the training camp.
New Zealand Sevens camp squad: Tomasi Cama (Manawatu), Edwin Cocker (Auckland), Israel Dagg (Hawke's Bay), DJ Forbes (Counties Manukau), Nigel Hunt (Bay of Plenty), Tafai Ioasa (Hawke's Bay), Solomon King (Bay of Plenty), Zar Lawrence (Bay of Plenty), Kendrick Lynn (Southland), Ben Nowell (Canterbury), Afeleke Pelenise (Tasman), Lote Raikabula (Manawatu), Rene Ranger (Northland), Chad Tuoro (Counties Manukau), Nafi Tuitavake (North Harbour).