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Six players from 15s who could help New Zealand 7s win Paris gold
The All Blacks and Black Ferns Sevens have explicitly stated their top priority in 2024 is to win the Olympic gold medal in Paris.
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Both teams are reigning World Series champions and appear largely settled. However neither won tournaments in the first two rounds of the HSBC SVNS this year.
While it’s hardly time to panic it’s clear several rivals have upped the ante which begs the question, what additions could be made to enhance both New Zealand teams?
Antoine Dupont is set to turbo charge France’s bid to capture a gold medal on home soil when he joins the French team on the field in 2024.
Superstar fifteens converts haven’t necessarily been a success in the recent past. Both Sonny Bill Williams and Caleb Clarke bombed for New Zealand in 2016 and 2021 respectively. However, given a choice what talent would you like to see crossover?
Salesi Rayasi
The 1.94cm, 105kg speedster has matured into an efficient finisher with 40 tries in 53 games for Auckland and 22 tries in 39 appearances for the Hurricanes. It’s unlikely he’ll threaten the All Blacks with a resurgent Kini Naholo making a serious bid for his starting left-wing jersey in the Hurricanes. Rayasi had success previously with the All Blacks Sevens and still has the pace and power to be a real handful in the shorter format of the game.
Etene Nanai-Seturo
Another with past experience in the All Black Sevens, Nanai-Seturo recently won the Duane Monkley medal as the best player in the NPC. While he’s established himself as a starter on the left wing for the Chiefs he appears a long way down the pecking order for All Blacks selection. Why not give Paris a nudge then? Is there a player with better footwork in New Zealand than Nanai-Seturo? His ability to beat players one one-on-one with a sidestep opens up all kinds of possibilities.
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Billy Harmon
The Highlanders captain is criminally underrated. Though he’s been in the All Blacks environment, he hasn’t played a Test and doesn’t look likely to in the foreseeable future. Canterbury didn’t have a vintage season in NPC 2023 winning just six of 11 matches, but Harmon was in superlative form. He was a powerful presence with ball in hand making the most carries (143) and offloads (47) for Canterbury. Harmon was a menace at the breakdown and with 175 tackles was second to teammate Tom Christe (183) on the overall NPC tackle list. With some ‘sevens’ conditioning’ Harmon could become a really useful forward. He has all the necessary skills to be a weapon on defence and offensive in the closer quarters.
Hoskins Sotutu
Sotutu went from All Black to outcast following Super Rugby 2023 when he wasn’t even named in the All Blacks XV squad to tour Japan. He had a good NPC for Counties Manukau being named Steelers Player of the Year. With his height and athleticism Sotutu could be a wonderful Sevens exponent. So much of Sevens is winning kickoffs and lineouts. Sotutu could do this well in addition to running more freely, drawing in defenders and getting his offload game going.
Holly Wratt-Groeneweg
The 19-year-old flanker was selected for the Black Ferns XV this year following some spectacular performances in her debut season for Canterbury in the Farah Palmer Cup (FPC). In the semi-final against Hawke’s Bay, she scored a hat-trick in a dozen minutes while a fortnight earlier against Counties Manukau she burst 40 metres in a memorable solo effort. It was a real surprise then to see her name absent from the Super Rugby Aupiki squad lists. Wratt-Groeneweg has been compared to Jorja Miller. Both are products of Christchurch Girls’ High School.
Angelica Mekemeke Vahai
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Auckland won the FPC Premiership for the first time since 2015 this year and their breakout star was graceful winger Angelica Mekemeke-Vahai. She scored a dozen tries and topped the team in metres run (844), defenders beaten (59), and clean breaks (15). Still, at high school, Mekemeke Vahai is gifted with rare pace and agility. With greater physical maturity she could flourish in both forms of the game for a long time.
Comments on RugbyPass
This cracked media record of aligning success or failure on head coaches is remarkable. Using the crusaders past history as an example, a more sensible observation and analysis could be that the recent head coaches had inherited a extremely successful combination of players linked to their traditional historical support of the Canterbury people. That period ended this year when the new coach was introduced to virtually a new team. And in a year where other franchises have grown much stronger than their respective past, it was always an anticipated reality that the coach and his new crusader team were up against it. Therefore, I humbly believe that unlike some commentators present, I laud coach Penny and the team for their efforts to date and I am sure given another term and with Canterbury behind them they will be riding high once more. Strange all this coming from me who lives in Taupo and a one eyed chiefs supporter. Can't wait for all future chiefs and crusader games!
6 Go to commentsGrt bench player..keep him there..
3 Go to commentsA Springbok 2-0 win: haha told you we were champions now shut up An Irish 2-0 win: the referee was under orders from world rugby to cheat us but luckily we don’t care because this is part of Rassie’s grand world Cup plan.
108 Go to commentsI hope they didn’t pay Jones fee?
2 Go to commentsTo be fair, the teams he's had to put out are reminiscent of those available to Gatland during his horrible run at the Chiefs in late 2020. Anyway, he's only got a two year contract and Wellingtonian Tamati Ellison will be ready by then, as will a lot of talented youngsters (like the Chiefs Gatland blooded). The Crusaders are planning for the long term.
6 Go to commentsGreat to see more community spending leading to higher participation in the community. It's a long road but that's a good first step.
2 Go to commentsPoetic justice for trying to sell him to Australia as another kiwi saviour coach, not ! Deans was just as bad actually but McCaw and Carter covered up for him. That’s why they didn’t want him as All Black coach, even after Graeme Henry’s bumbling effort in 2007.
6 Go to commentsSACK HIM !
6 Go to commentsSafas are so triggered by Ireland. 3 consecutive losses, incl RWC. 8 losses out of last 12 Tests. Always excuses, of course, with Bok fans. Now Rassie with his “88%” nonsense, the Claytons Excuse is an embarrassment to Bok teams of the past when every test mattered. Their fickle mojo will be on edge for the Ireland tour. Have the referees been appointed yet ? They will need security. Have WR laid out strict guidelines for TMO’s and replays on the stadium screens ? Will the constant stoppages from Bok forwards for cramps and bootlaces be tolerated ? We’re not talking a dominant Springbok team here, they won the LOTTO Cup and they know it whether they admit it or not. The Disney doco has their fans positively fermenting internally, its going to be a nasty hangover if they get beaten on home soil. What will the excuses be then……
108 Go to commentsGreat role model.
2 Go to commentsOne significant tell, not a single Waratahs player stopped to whinge to the ref about Finau’s tackle. They got on with playing the game. Great tackle.
8 Go to commentsWouldn’t be a bad move if Ireland pulled into SA with a young side. Particularly in Pretoria. Invaluable experience getting thumped in the bosveld.
108 Go to commentsIreland. The Princess Diana of Rugby. I never cheered so much for a team as i did for the All Blacks in that QF.
108 Go to commentsWill be great to see the Leinster first XV back in action again after their cotton wool time…
1 Go to commentsLooked up Grant Constable on google and reply was doppelgänger for Ben Smith
108 Go to commentsIt is so good that we now all get excited and debate who is best and emotionally get involved. We all back our teams which is great. Up until about 15-20 years ago, NZ was basically on its own, and then Saffa, Aussie and sometimes French and English were there. We now have at least 5-6 really top sides and another 4 who keep improving. This is so healthy. So we should not resort to rubbish comments and unhealthy debate, but rather all be chuffed that the product we watch is not competitive, exciting and often uncertain. It would be so good if World Rugger could find a way to align the rules to professional players as well as spectators. Live rugby games are SO boring as there is SO much down time as we wait for refs and TMOs and whoever else to look at every small event going back endless phases with the hope of eventually find a minute infringement to then decide cancel what was a wonderful try. This is the ultimate cork back in the bottle moment and feels like every balloon is always being popped. Come on- we must be better with the rules.
108 Go to comments“upon leaving said establishment I tripped over a stool knocking some bottles into the air and as I fell I accidently dislodged a police officer’s teaser who was passing by on an unrelated matter there by landing on said taser which caused it to discharge 50,000 watts into me. Out of shock I shouted Ireland are going to win the world cup. Upon waking up I apologised for the distress caused by my Ireland comment. The matter is closed. If you wish to pursue this matter may I remind you what I told Wayne Barnes when he sent me off. I AM A BIG ASS MAN”. Or was it “I AM A BIG ASS, MAN” or was it “I AM A BIG ASSMAN”?
2 Go to commentsThe only championship the Boks hold are: Great value for the incompetence of referees during the RWC Moaning endlessly and champions of spewing utterly ignorant 💩 at all times. Displaying the dangers of a third world education End of.
108 Go to commentsSouth Africa and Rassie do a phenomenal job of treating the 4 years in between World Cups as nothing more than a training exercise to build squad depth. The Six Nations money that keeps Irish rugby afloat is unfortunately too important to allow the same approach, and basic population size means we'll never get close to matching the depth of South Africa, England and France. That being said, Irish rugby is in a relatively good place and slowly improving inch by inch. If the other three provinces can pull the finger out and actually develop some players it'd be even better.
108 Go to commentsGood on Clarke for taking on the criticism and addressing his deficiencies, principally his laziness.
3 Go to comments