Sevens: Tietjens names four newbies for Wellington

New Zealand Sevens coach Gordon Tietjens. Photo / File.

New Zealand sevens coach Gordon Tietjens has no fear around giving young players an opportunity to perform under the spotlight of the home crowd in Wellington and this weekend's tournament will be no different.

The long-time national mentor has named four potential debutants - Dylan Collier, Rieko Ioane, Jack Goodhue and Beaudein Waaka - in his 12-man squad as they look to defend their Wellington title, starting Friday.

The likes of Victor Vito and Declan O'Donnell shot to the minds of the New Zealand rugby public after their exploits in the capital in years gone by and that opportunity is now in front of the latest crop of rookies.

Collier comes in following a stand-out performance for the champion Waikato team at the recent National Sevens. He was a member of the Waikato ITM Cup squad in 2013 and 2014. Ioane is the brother of former New Zealand sevens player Akira Ioane who also made his debut at Wellington last year.

Waaka is an inside back and a member of the Taranaki ITM Cup squad, while, Goodhue, a forward, has been in the national squad before but is yet to take the field.

"It's always good having new and exciting youngsters coming into the side," Tietjens said.

"Reiko is a very quick and agile player with a great step and vision. He has lots of pace and has really impressed me. Dylan really excelled at the nationals. He is a big forward, has great offloading skills and is very fit. He is new to the game, but has still performed exceedingly well.

"Beaudein Waaka also has a great step. He is very exciting to watch and I think he will open a few eyes this weekend. Jack has improved over the last 12 months at a huge rate. He is very fit and a great defender so will add real value."

New Zealand come in to the Wellington tournament, the fourth of nine in the world series, in need of a good showing given they're in third place on the overall standings behind South Africa and Fiji. New Zealand need to finish inside the top four this season to ensure they automatically qualify for next year's Rio Olympics.

"We are defending champions in Wellington so there's a lot to play for and it's always exciting to come to Wellington with the support we have here," Tietjens said.

"To perform well is top of our agenda. We got beaten by South Africa in South Africa in the last tournament. But we are on the improve and I would like think we can really nail it at this tournament. Winning Wellington will go a long way to adding a few more points to the ladder and towards qualification for the Olympics."

New Zealand trained in wet conditions at Porirua Park today, which is the sort of weather that could greet the sides this weekend, according to the long-range forecast.

New Zealand sevens squad for Wellington tournament: Dylan Collier, Scott Curry, Ambrose Curtis, Sam Dickson, DJ Forbes (c), Jack Goodhue, Rieko Ioane, Gillies Kaka, Tim Mikkelson, Sherwin Stowers, Beaudein Waaka, Joe Webber