Bay of Plenty's Luke Masirewa of New Zealand in action during their Pool A match against Fiji as part of the HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2018 in April. Photo / Getty Images
Bay of Plenty's Luke Masirewa of New Zealand in action during their Pool A match against Fiji as part of the HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2018 in April. Photo / Getty Images
Bay of Plenty rugby players Ngarohi McGarvey-Black and Luke Masirewa are back in the All Blacks Sevens jersey for this weekend's Oceania Sevens tournament in Fiji.
McGarvey-Black and Amanaki Nicole had promising All Blacks Sevens debuts last season cut short due to injury, while Masirewa and Tone Ng Shiu are getting a chance this tournament after limited game time in 2018.
Ngarohi McGarvey-Black during the 2018 Singapore Sevens in April. Photo / Getty Images
They are not the only Bay players stepping up this weekend. Sam Dickson has been named as the co-captain the team with Dylan Collier. Regular co-captains Tim Mikkelson and Scott Curry will travel with the team as reserves.
"Dylan and Sam are senior players in our team that already lead by their actions. This will be a good challenge from them to lead a young group in the build-up to and during a tournament," coach Clark Laidlaw said.
Sam Dickson of New Zealand scores a try during the 2017 HSBC Cape Town Sevens. Photo / Getty Images
Laidlaw said the Oceania Sevens was a great chance for the team to get out on the field before the HSBC World Series starts at the end of the month.
"We're excited to get back out there. We've had small numbers in preseason, with a lot of guys still with Mitre 10 Cup, but the players we have had are working hard and can't wait to get into some rugby," he said.
"This tournament presents a good opportunity for some of our younger players to step up with a number of our senior boys not playing and also builds depth by giving players a crack at this level.
The All Blacks Sevens will face New Caledonia and Nauru in pool play with competition, which starts on Friday.
The Black Ferns Sevens Development side are also in preparation for this weekend's Oceania tournament.
Mahina Paul in action at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games. Photo / Getty Images
Development team Coach Crystal Kaua said exposing the next level of sevens talent to international competition was crucial in the development of players.
"Our job in this development team is to get this group of players that are behind the fully contracted squad ready to transition into that space. It really is a stepping stone to that Black Ferns Sevens squad and we have already seen players graduate from this team into full-time contracts," Kaua said.
"We are together for a short amount of time so we want to get these players in an environment where they can be confident and express themselves on the field.
The Black Ferns Sevens Development team have experience in the form of Black Ferns Sevens players Shakira Baker, Terina Te Tamaki and Huia Harding.
"Those girls bring a lot of mana to our environment, they are very willing to share their knowledge and want the players around them to do well."
The team last played at the Hokkaido Sevens in Japan in September, losing to the Australian national team in the final.
The Black Ferns Sevens Development team play Fiji, Cook Islands and New Caledonia in pool play, starting on Friday.
The All Blacks Sevens team: Jordan Bunce (Waikato) Dylan Collier (Waikato) Scott Curry (Bay of Plenty) Sam Dickson (Bay of Plenty) Scott Gregory (Northland) - new cap Taylor Haugh (Otago) - new cap Trael Joass (Bay of Plenty) Luke Masirewa (Bay of Plenty) Tim Mikkelson (Waikato) Tone Ng Shiu (Tasman) Amanaki Nicole (Canterbury) Ngarohi McGarvey-Black (Bay of Plenty) Joe Ravouvou (Auckland) Andrew Knewstubb (Horowhenua Kapiti)
The Black Ferns Sevens Development team: Shakira Baker (Waikato) Kendall Buckingham (Southland) Huia Harding (Waikato) Talei Kidd (Auckland) Rina Paraone (Waikato) Mahina Paul (Bay of Plenty) Chey Reti (Waikato) Leanna Ryan (Waikato) Kennedy Simon (Waikato) Susana Sotutu (Auckland) Grace Steinmetz (Canterbury) Terina Te Tamaki (Waikato) Janna Vaughan (Manawatu)
Draw for Friday, November 9: 11.21am Black Ferns Sevens Development v New Caledonia 2.30pm Black Ferns Sevens Development v Cook Islands 4.36pm All Blacks Sevens v Nauru 5.39pm Black Ferns Sevens Development v Fiji 7.45pm All Blacks Sevens v New Caledonia Saturday, November 10: Play offs
