All Blacks Sevens coach to miss American SVNS events due to visa issue

All Blacks Sevens head coach Tomasi Cama will be absent from both the Vancouver and New York SVNS events due to a visa issue.

New Zealand Rugby (NZR) issued the update on Tuesday afternoon, the same day as the team’s departing flight, stating that a processing delay was to blame for Cama’s visa not being approved in time.

A statement from the governing body explained that assistant coach Willie Rickards will step into Cama’s role as head coach for the series’ North American stops, which take place on back-to-back weekends, with the Vancouver event kicking off this Saturday.

“All Blacks Sevens Head Coach Tomasi Cama will not be travelling with the team to the Vancouver and New York legs of the HSBC SVNS series after the team were advised his visa application could not be processed in time to travel with the team, who fly out of New Zealand today (Tuesday, 3 March),” NZR’s statement read.

“Assistant Coach Willie Rickards will take on the Head Coach duties for the two tournaments with Scott Curry as his Assistant Coach.”

Curry retired from professional rugby in 2024 after a 14-year career in the All Blacks Sevens, having succeeded DJ Forbes as captain of the team in 2015.

New Zealand sit third on the SVNS Series table at the season’s midpoint, with their first-up win in Dubai contributing handsomely to an eight-point buffer over fourth-placed France and Australia.

The Vancouver pool draw has landed New Zealand dates with Spain, Great Britain, and Perth champions South Africa.

The team have been boosted by the return of star game-breaker Roderick Solo for the second half of the season, with the 24-year-old now recovered from a serious knee injury that has kept him sidelined for the past two years.