Ignite7 tournament returns to Tauranga to unearth the next rugby sevens stars

Olympian and Black Ferns sevens player Jazmin Felix-Hotham with teammates after winning the final at the 2019 Ignite7 tournament in Auckland. Photo / Dave Rowland

New Zealand Rugby is reigniting the search for future rugby sevens stars with the fourth edition of the Ignite7 tournament.

Organisers will select 48 young athletes to fill four men’s and four women’s squads – Bolt, Inferno, Power and Surge.

The two-day tournament in Mount Maunganui has been designed to discover prospective players for the 2028 LA Olympics and future major rugby events.

Full squads will be announced within the next fortnight and the tournament will be at Blake Park on November 1 and 2. Entry will be free for fans.

The event will also have games featuring the Black Ferns and All Blacks sevens teams as they warm up for the2025/26 World SVNS Series.

New Zealand Rugby head of men’s high performance Mike Anthony said the Ignite7 format had proven its worth in the past.

“The number of players who have progressed through Ignite7 shows the value of the programme.”

He said there was talent that would emerge through NZR’s pathways in the next two years.

“This tournament week represents a massive opportunity for young players to showcase their talent and to rub shoulders with our current Black Ferns and All Blacks sevens players and coaches.

“It’s an important step in our high-performance sevens pathway.”

Members of the current Bay of Plenty Steamers team have appeared in the Ignite7 tournament previously: Loose forward Veveni Lasaqa played in the tournament in 2019, and NRL grand finalist William Warbrick, who attended Rotorua Boys’ High School, and competed in the 2018 Ignite7 tournament.

Veveni Lasaqa, then 17, while playing for the Power team at the 2019 Ignite7 tournament at The Trusts Arena in Auckland. Photo / Dave Rowland

This led to an All Blacks sevens selection for Warbrick, who competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Current Black Ferns fullback Renee Holmes and recent All Black halfback Kyle Preston were also among the 2019 Ignite alumni.

Then 2020 had players such as Caleb Tangitau, Fehi Fineanganofo, Jazmin Felix-Hotham, Mahina Paul and Manaia Nuku who progressed through to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

New Zealand Rugby head of women’s high performance Hannah Porter said there was “incredible talent coming through in the women’s game”.

“We expect some stars will emerge quickly, but crucially, this will also give us a chance to look further ahead at the athletes we believe can be ready for LA 2028 and build competition among a wider group of players.”

News of Ignite 7’s return is among several large-scale sporting events announced for the Bay of Plenty region.

Mount Maunganui’s international cricket ground, Bay Oval, hosted New Zealand’s international cricket season-opener on October 1.

There will be an ODI against England, a West Indies test and a South Africa double-header with the Black Caps and White Ferns this season.

Tauranga will also host the World Triathlon Championship Final in 2028, part of a three-year partnership deal with World Triathlon.

Kaitlyn Morrell is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.