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SVNS Series: Oli Mathis and Manaia Nuku return home to New Zealand
By Finn Morton reporting from Singapore
Both New Zealand sides have been dealt tough injury blows ahead of this weekend’s HSBC SVNS Series stop in Singapore, with Manaia Nuku and Oli Mathis both returning home after suffering injuries during the Hong Kong Sevens.
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New Zealand Sevens took to social media on Thursday to announce the team updates in the lead-up to the final regular season stop of the 2024/25 campaign. Dhys Faleafaga replaces Nuku in the Black Ferns Sevens playing squad, while Rob Rush joins the men’s side.
When Mathis joined the All Blacks Sevens ahead of the season opener in Dubai last December, New Zealand rugby fans were intrigued by what the youngster could potentially achieve on the SVNS Series after an eye-catching season in the NPC with Waikato.
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Mathis started the provincial season in the backrow for Waikato before shifting to the wing for a round nine clash away to Canterbury. The then 19-year-old was called into the starting side for both the quarter and semi-final, scoring a try in each of those matches.
Waikato’s Aku Tuivailala labelled Mathis “a freak” after the rising star’s strong start to life on the SVNS Series. Mathis has shown signs of promise this season but won’t take part in the round-robin finale, with the winner-takes-all World Championship taking place in LA on May 3-4.
“Manaia Nuku and Oli Mathis sustained injuries at the Hong Kong Sevens and have returned home to New Zealand,” New Zealand Sevens’ Instagram post reads.
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“Rob Rush joins the All Blacks Sevens and Dhys Faleafaga moves into the Black Ferns Sevens playing squad for this weekend’s Singapore Sevens.”
As for the Black Ferns Sevens, they’ve called Faleafaga back into the playing squad. Faleafaga was included in the initial travelling squad for Hong Kong and Singapore but wasn’t selected to take the field at Kai Tak Stadium.
Nuku drops out of the squad injured after helping New Zealand secure a three-peat of titles at the prestigious Hong Kong Sevens. Jorja Miller was the standout for the Black Ferns Sevens who will claim the league title this season if they top their pool in Singapore.
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“Proud of this team for all the hard work we consistently put in to be the best we can be and the mana we uphold when we represent our whanau, country, past and present player as well as ourselves,” Nuku wrote on Instagram.
“On to the next we go… the journey has only begun.”
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The All Blacks Sevens have been drawn in a tough group for Singapore, with Fiji and the USA also vying for the sole spot in the semi-finals out of Pool D. With the 12 sides spread across four pools for this event, only the top-ranked side out of each group moves on.
Every match is a must-win.
Argentina, Great Britain and South Africa have been grouped in Pool A, while France will take on relegation-threatened sides Ireland and Kenya. In Pool C, Australia will take on SVNS Series heavyweights Spain and Uruguay.
In the women’s draw, New Zealand have been pitted against Brazil – a team they versed twice in Hong Kong – and China. Australia, Japan and Spain are in Pool B, while Canada, the USA and Great Britain complete Pool C.
The other three teams are France, Fiji and Ireland who will battle it out in a series of intense matches in Pool D.
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