Vilimoni Koroi will return from injury for the All Blacks Sevens at the London Sevens. Photo / Getty Images
Vilimoni Koroi will return from injury for the All Blacks Sevens at the London Sevens. Photo / Getty Images
The All Blacks Sevens depart for London todayin preparation for the last two tournaments of the 2018/2019 HSBC World Series during which they are hopeful of sealing Olympic qualification.
Coach Clark Laidlaw had a mostly fit squad to pick from and has high expectations of closing out the season inthe style.
Scott Gregory and Vilimoni Koroi return from injury to bolster the travelling squad, while Sam Dickson, Trael Joass and Niko Jones are currently sidelined.
A six-week break since the last tournament has given the All Blacks Sevens squad a chance to refresh.
"It's felt like a mini preseason in a way. We had a couple of weeks away from each other and everyone came back quite excited. We have had a look at our game and reflected where we are at and there is a desire to finish the season with quality performances," Laidlaw said.
At the past two tournaments the All Blacks Sevens suffered quarterfinal defeats, but Laidlaw said that's no reason to panic.
"You need a huge amount of perspective when you lose. There are a couple of areas of the game we want to improve but at the same time there are a lot of things that have been going really well."
The All Blacks Sevens currently sit third on the World Series standings and need to finish in the top four to confirm Olympic Qualification.
"The quicker we can get that done and qualify the better. The focus is on London, we need to play really well next week because we are coming up against teams that have a lot to play for."
Drawn in Pool C, the All Blacks Sevens will face England, Scotland and Ireland on Day One.
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The squad:
Scott Curry (Bay of Plenty), Kurt Baker (Manawatu), Dylan Collier (Waikato), Scott Gregory (Northland), Andrew Knewstubb (Horowhenua Kapiti), Vilimoni Koroi (Otago), Tim Mikkelson (Waikato), Sione Molia (Counties Manukau), Jona Nareki (Otago), Tone Ng Shiu (Tasman), Joseva Rovouvou (Auckland), Regan Ware (Taranaki), Joe Webber (Bay of Plenty).
