Sevens: Unofficial Aust-NZ series Olympics oriented

The All Black sevens team trains in Rotorua under the eye of coach Sir Gordon Tietjens Photo/Ben Fraser

The All Blacks Sevens team will play their Australian counterparts in a six-game series in Rotorua this weekend - with the unofficial series based around the format for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

The two nations will play six games across three days at the Rotorua International Stadium starting tomorrow morning and finishing on Monday night.

New Zealand are building up for the HSBC Sevens World Series while Australia still need to qualify for the Olympics next year.

This weekend's series between New Zealand and Australia will replicate the 2016 Rio Olympics schedule, under which teams play up to six games across three days.

The unofficial series is a huge coup for Rotorua which already has a reputation as a great sevens location boasting the Bayleys National Sevens tournament each summer.

The first match is closed to the public tomorrow morning while the second match will be played as the curtain raiser to the Steamers-versus-Taranaki ITM Cup match in the afternoon.

The remaining four matches on Sunday and Monday are free to attend at the stadium.

•All Blacks Sevens v Australia (all games at the Rotorua International Stadium):
Saturday: 11.30am* and 4.30pm. Sunday: 1.30pm and 6pm. Monday: 3pm and 7pm.
*Closed to the public.