KEY POINTS:
Boosted by a little Super 14 firepower, the New Zealand sevens team enter this weekend's International Rugby Board tournament in London knowing that victory is the only option to keep their series hopes alive.
Coach Gordon Tietjens' men lie in third place but just 14 points behind series
leaders Fiji with two tournaments remaining.
Tietjens, who masterminded six consecutive IRB titles between 1999 and 2005, still has his eyes on the prize.
He was able to call on Super 14 trio Roy Kinikinilau (Chiefs), Alando Soakai (Highlanders) and former All Black Ben Atiga (Blues) for this crucial Twickenham leg.
"I'm usually not that keen on bringing 15-a-side players in immediately after the completion of a Super 14 campaign because it takes them so long to adapt," Tietjens told journalists in London.
"But Roy Kinikinilau and Alando Soakai have come to me in particularly good shape.
"They also love the game of sevens, they love the culture, they're both gamebreakers in their own right and Roy has also had a great season for the Chiefs this year, was probably their best winger.
"He thought he was going to have a rest but he's going to be here over the weekend and we'll be expecting big things."
New Zealand reached first two finals of the series -- in Dubai and George, South Africa -- but have been semifinal victims in the four tournaments since as Fiji and Samoa have clamped control.
It has reached the point where anything short of victory would probably leave New Zealand with no chance of series success heading into the final leg at Edinburgh next week.
"We need to win this one, or be there or there abouts, and we certainly wouldn't want Fiji to get to the final, so that's how close it is," Tietjens said.
"It's there to win but we've got to play very very well to win these next two tournaments."
Auckland's DJ Forbes will again captain the New Zealand side in the absence of injured veteran Tafai Ioasa.
New Zealand's pool opponents starting on Saturday night (NZ time) are Kenya, Italy and Scotland.
Meanwhile, second-placed Samoa will hope to continue their dream season and narrow the 10-point gap behind Fiji.
Their new-found success in taking a first IRB title -- in Wellington, and then in Hong Kong -- has given the Samoans self belief after years of struggling to advance beyond the quarterfinal or semifinal stages.
Samoa owes no small part of their success to affable but determined coach Dicky Tafua.
Encouraged by the quality of talent back at home, Tafua has led a personal crusade over the past six months.
"At the start of my career in sevens I sacrificed to take only local boys based in Samoa. And I almost got sacked after the first two legs," he said.
"Now, though, it's come to prove that we still have the talent at home.
"Yes, a lot of our good players decide to go to New Zealand for their future but there is still a lot of good players playing in Samoa."
"So I still take on those boys and I ask them to stay committed. It's coming to an end now and we know we can do it. We have a chance to win the series."
New Zealand Team: Ben Atiga (Auckland), Tomasi Cama (Manawatu), Edwin Cocker (Auckland), DJ Forbes (Auckland, captain), Nigel Hunt (Wellington), Roy Kinikinilau (Waikato), Zar Lawrence (North Harbour), Afeleke Pelenise (Tasman), Lote Raikabula (Hawke's Bay), Alando Soakai (Otago), Adam Thomson (Otago), Steven Yates (Canterbury)
IRB world sevens series leading standings after six of eight rounds:
Fiji 104, Samoa 94, New Zealand 90, South Africa 80, England 48, France 28, Australia 26, Scotland 18, Kenya 16, Wales 14, Tonga 10
- NZPA
