Rugby sevens: All Black quartet gear up for gold

All Black Hosea Gear. Photo / Getty Images

Four All Blacks - Zac Guildford, Adam Thomson, Hosea Gear and Ben Smith - will provide pace, power and experience to a New Zealand sevens rugby team seeking a fourth straight Commonwealth Games gold medal triumph.

The rest of coach Gordon Tietjens' side for the October games in New Delhi comprise eight stalwarts from the world series where they finished second to Samoa this year. The side will be captained by Counties Manukau's DJ Forbes.

"My core national squad members have really proved themselves during the world series and earned their spots in the team," Tietjens said yesterday.

"We have also been lucky enough to be able to add to that with high calibre and experienced players," he added.

Thomson, Smith, Guildford and Gear had shed their disappointment of not making the All Blacks Tri-Nations side after the June internationals and had trialled impressively for the Games squad.

Thomson played in the 2007 world series for Tietjens and Gear a couple of tournaments in 2003.

"Zac Guildford and Ben Smith are new to sevens but they picked it up very quickly in the trials and bring the x-factor - the four have magnificent skills sets, pace and have played at high level."

For Gear, the Games present an opportunity to balance out the family trophy cabinet as older brother, Rico, was one of the stars in Kuala Lumpur 1998 when sevens made its Games debut.

"It's quite special to be in the Games squad and I feel quite proud because I never thought I would have the same opportunity as Rico... and it's a chance to get even with him."

The New Zealand Maori star winger said a target was to make the end of year Northern Hemisphere tour with the All Blacks but he was focused on trying to bring home gold for family and country for the moment.

Tietjens said the world series had levelled out sevens rugby in the last three or four years so it would be a huge challenge for top seeded New Zealand to continue their unbeaten run at the Games.

Samoa, as reigning world series champions, Australia, England and South Africa would also be expected to wheel out some of their big guns for New Delhi. "Certainly, three or four teams can win the gold medal," Tietjens said.

SEVENS TEAM

Toby Arnold (Bay of Plenty), Kurt Baker (Taranaki), Tomasi Cama (Manawatu), DJ Forbes (captain, Counties Manukau), Hosea Gear (Wellington), Zac Guildford (Hawke's Bay), Tim Mikkelson (Waikato), Lote Raikabula (Manawatu), Ben Smith (Otago), Ben Sounness (Taranaki), Sherwin Stowers (Counties Manukau), Adam Thomson (Otago).

Standby players: Solomon King (Bay of Plenty) and Julian Savea (Wellington).

- NZPA