NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / Rugby / Rugby Sevens

Sevens: Injuries leave New Zealand men's coach unsure of Cape Town team

Kristin Macfarlane
By Kristin Macfarlane
Bay of Plenty Times·
1 Dec, 2018 10:48 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The All Blacks Sevens celebrate with their trophy after winning the Dubai leg of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. Photo / Getty Images

The All Blacks Sevens celebrate with their trophy after winning the Dubai leg of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. Photo / Getty Images

With injuries plaguing the New Zealand men's sevens team, head coach Clark Laidlaw is unsure they'll be able to field at next week's Cape Town Sevens.

Working out how to fill those gaps will take up a good chunk of the next 24 to 48 hours.

The All Blacks Sevens squad won the first tournament of this season's HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in Dubai this morning, with a 21-5 win over USA in the Cup final. The men's victory makes it a double win for New Zealand at the Dubai Sevens after the national women's side took out their tournament the day before.

The New Zealand men's team, now sitting at the top of the HSBC World Sevens Series standings on 22 points, went into the final without co-captain Scott Curry, Akuila Rokolisoa, Sam Dickson and Regan Ware due to injuries. Stepping out for that final match included Luke Masirewa, Tone Ng Shiu, Dylan Collier, Ngarohi McGarvey-Black, co-captain Sione Molia, Andrew Knewstubb and Vilimoni Koroi.

The All Blacks Sevens celebrate with their trophy after winning the Dubai leg of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. Photo / Getty Images
The All Blacks Sevens celebrate with their trophy after winning the Dubai leg of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. Photo / Getty Images
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It's been an unusual 10 days to lose three guys before we kicked the ball then lose another three within the tournament, Laidlaw said.

"It's the first time it's happened to us so to crack on and you know, pull a win off with nine players is something we're going to be ... really proud of," he said.

Laidlaw said he was "hugely proud" of the men to secure wins against the USA, England and a strong Scotland team on finals day and to go throughout the whole tournament unbeaten.

"To play the way that we did, but to win six games, it's actually the first they've won six games in about two years," Laidlaw said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The All Blacks Sevens were undefeated in the tournament beating Wales 28-7, Spain 28-17 and USA 24-7 on day one, before taking wins in the finals day with a 21-7 victory over Scotland and a tough 7-5 win over England in the semifinal before the Cup final.

Despite the loss of players to injuries, Laidlaw said it was an encouraging start to the season. However, with their second tournament of the series and last for the year in Cape Town just six days away, his focus was on putting a team forward.

"We're actually really short of players, I'm not entirely sure we going to have a team for next week," Laidlaw said.

He said they had a lot of work to do over the next 24-40 hours to figure out what to do and "try and get some guys over to South Africa".

Discover more

Rugby Sevens

Michaela Blyde wins Women's Sevens Player of the Year

25 Nov 10:20 PM
Rugby Sevens

Black Ferns Sevens take two from two in world series

30 Nov 01:42 PM
Rugby Sevens

All Blacks Sevens break nine year drought in Dubai

01 Dec 04:20 PM
Rugby Sevens

All Blacks Sevens go down to South Africa at Cape Town Sevens

09 Dec 05:50 PM

"But we'll recover, we'll dust ourself off and you know, we'll just take the week to really recover well and build back up toward next Saturday."

The injured players will be assessed and any replacements will be announced in coming days.

After the match, Curry said he was impressed with team saying Collier, Molia Knewstubb "really lead from the front" and the younger ones, which included Northland's Scott Gregory experiencing his World Series debut in the black jersey.

"It's obviously a really good start for us as a team," Curry said from Dubai.

"This year's all about qualifying for Tokyo 2020 so yeah, we wanted to come here and win the tournament so we've done that. So guess the next step is being really consistent throughout the series."

All Blacks Sevens celebrate Cup Final win with a HAKA!

Sit back and enjoy as the #AllBlacks7s celebrate that Cup Final win with a HAKA! #Dubai7s

Posted by NZ Sevens on Saturday, December 1, 2018

The All Blacks Sevens' successful start to their world sevens series adds to the already successful 2018 as Commonwealth Games gold medallists and the Rugby World Cup Sevens title winners.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Sport

America's Cup

Burling confirms move to Team NZ rival

20 Jun 06:35 AM
Warriors

Ex-NRL player says family threatened after 'dog shot' on Warriors fullback

20 Jun 04:58 AM
Premium
Super Rugby

Ranking every Super Rugby final from worst to best

20 Jun 02:00 AM

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Sport

Burling confirms move to Team NZ rival

Burling confirms move to Team NZ rival

20 Jun 06:35 AM

The move comes after Burling and Team New Zealand parted ways earlier this year.

Ex-NRL player says family threatened after 'dog shot' on Warriors fullback

Ex-NRL player says family threatened after 'dog shot' on Warriors fullback

20 Jun 04:58 AM
Premium
Ranking every Super Rugby final from worst to best

Ranking every Super Rugby final from worst to best

20 Jun 02:00 AM
Premium
Exclusive: Claims NZR tried to discourage Ardie Savea joining Moana Pasifika

Exclusive: Claims NZR tried to discourage Ardie Savea joining Moana Pasifika

20 Jun 12:01 AM
Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP