Four Super Rugby players jump on board for All Blacks Sevens campaign
The All Blacks Sevens’ quest for Olympic gold in Tokyo next year has been given a major boost, with four Super Rugby players set to join the 2019/2020 campaign.
Caleb Clarke (Blues, Auckland), Etene Nanai-Seturo (Chiefs, Counties Manukau), Salesi Rayasi (Hurricanes, Auckland) and Scott Gregory (Highlanders, Northland) will shift into the 2019/2020 All Blacks Sevens campaign with their sights focussed on the Tokyo Olympic Games, New Zealand Rugby announced today.
With the support of their Investec Super Rugby clubs, the players have been given the green light to move into the Sevens programme, said New Zealand Rugby Head of High Performance Mike Anthony.
“We’re delighted that these players – who have all been in the All Blacks Sevens environment previously – have put up their hand, and want to have a crack at making the Olympic squad.
“We have worked very closely with all the Super Clubs to ensure we could support those players who were genuinely keen to be involved in the Tokyo Olympic Games. We also wanted to ensure that the Super Clubs were not significantly disadvantaged.
“Our first step was to gauge individual player interest, and then All Blacks Sevens management presented to those players before a firm commitment was sought,” Anthony said.
“The four players selected have all previously played for the All Blacks Sevens which speaks volumes to the culture that (Coach) Clark Laidlaw and his team have really built within that environment. It’s been a key focus of the management to offer young players world class rugby experience so to have these four put their hand up to return is a great result,” he said.
Clarke, Nanai-Seturo and Rayasi will join the All Blacks Sevens squad after their Mitre 10 Cup commitments at the end of this year while Gregory will assemble with the Highlanders until March 2020.
“One of the biggest considerations in this process has been the team environment. We have a group of contracted players that have won the Commonwealth Games Gold and Rugby World Cup Sevens last year, so we’re very mindful that those coming in need to complement that group,” Anthony said.
Salesi Rayasi was a member of the World Cup winning All Blacks Sevens team in 2018 while Etene Nanai-Seturo won Commonwealth Games Gold with the team last April.
“We think we have the right mix of players that are coming in – size, speed and power, they will be a great addition to the All Blacks Sevens programme,” said Anthony.
The Blues, Chiefs, Hurricanes, and Highlanders are free to recruit an additional player to their 2020 squads. The Crusaders are the only team to not have representation in the wider Sevens Squad.
Player biographies (with Coach Clark Laidlaw’s comments)
Etene Nanai-Seturo
A schoolboy super star for Saint Kentigern College, Etene Nanai-Seturo joined the All Blacks Sevens team in 2018, playing at eight tournaments including claiming a Commonwealth Games Gold medal. Not his first black jersey, Nanai-Seturo was a member of a strong New Zealand Schools team in 2017. He made his provincial debut for Counties Manukau in 2018, playing eight matches for his team, in 2019 he scored two tries on debut for the Chiefs in Super Rugby.
“Etene’s transitions from schoolboy to international sevens player last year showed what a talented young player he is. He has pace and power and beyond that, a massive work ethic for everything and that’s a big positive for us.”
Scott Gregory
Gregory had a breakthrough year in 2018 which started with the Whangarei teen playing in all five of New Zealand’s matches at the World Rugby Under 20 Championship. Gregory returned to New Zealand and played a starring role in the Northland Taniwha campaign, debuting off the bench in the first round and going on to play 10 matches. A New Zealand age-grade athletics champion, Gregory was then contracted to the All Blacks Sevens team and debuted on the World Series in a championship win in Dubai. Gregory has recently signed with the Highlanders and will join them at the start of their 2020 campaign before transitioning back into the All Blacks Sevens squad.
“Scott showed this year what he can do on a sevens field, he became a regular selection and the only tournaments he missed were either through injury or his Under 20 commitments. He brings a real physicality to the forwards and we think it will be seamless when he comes back to the squad.”
Salesi Rayasi
Rayasi is a graduate of the All Blacks Sevens development programme, getting his first cap on the World Sevens Series in Hong Kong last year. The powerful winger, who has the ability to play in the forwards in sevens, went on to be a part of the Ruby World Cup Sevens winning team in July 2018. The exciting year continued for Rayasi who was part of the premiership winning Auckland Mitre 10 Cup side. Rayasi made his Super Rugby debut for the Hurricanes earlier this year, scoring on debut against the Chiefs.
“Salesi is the first genuine player that came through our development programme. He has he ability to play in the forwards and backs in an authority role and has a point of difference with his ability in the air. The Aerial game is a massive part of where sevens can be won and lost, so Salesi will be a great addition in that aspect.”
Caleb Clarke
At only 20-years-old Caleb Clarke has a strong rugby resume. A World Rugby U20 Championship winner in 2017, Clarke went on to debut for Auckland, the Blues and the All Blacks Sevens in the following 12 months. Clarke won the Mitre 10 Cup with Auckland in 2018 and would have been a part of the Commonwealth Games winning All Blacks Sevens if he had not been ruled out with illness.
“Part of our plan is to have to have strength and power on the win and Caleb gives us that x-factor. He was only with us for a short period but he quickly showed us what a skilful player he is. We’re excited to have him for a prolonged period of time and we think he will have the opportunity to develop into a world class sevens winger.”
– New Zealand Rugby
Comments on RugbyPass
It couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
25 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
13 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
25 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
13 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
80 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
13 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
13 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
13 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
13 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
13 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
44 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to comments