Sonny Bill's sister named in sevens squad

Niall Williams, sister of Sonny Bill Williams, has been named in the New Zealand women's sevens squad. Photo / Instagram @niall_williams

Sonny Bill Williams and his sister Niall could be shooting for gold at next year's Rio Olympics.

The younger Williams has taken the first step on the path to Rio with selection for the New Zealand women's sevens squad for next weekend's Dubai sevens, the opener for the world series circuit.

The Auckland-based 27-year-old is a mother of two from a strong touch rugby background and looks to continue the family tradition of code-hopping. She is the sole debutant in the squad of 12.

Niall Williams with her brother Sonny Bill Williams. Photo / Instagram @niall_williams13

"She's an amazing athlete similar to her brother," said New Zealand coach Sean Horan. "She's worked very hard over the last nine months to really make this happen. She's a very powerful and skilful player, coming from a touch background so that's good.

"Physically she's tough, so we're excited. We're not expecting fireworks straight away, but she has real potential and we see a big future for her."

Sonny Bill Williams is not in the frame for the first two tournaments for the All Blacks Sevens but will come into contention in the new year.

Several players were unavailable through injury: Charlotte Scanlan (shoulder), Kayla McAlister (foot), Stacey Waaka (shoulder), Lesley Ketu (ankle), Alexis Tapsell (neck), Selica Winiata (back).

Horan said the first team of the new season was young, which augured well for the future.

"We have a few injuries which have resulted in some changes, but going into Dubai we're really excited. We have the mainstay of Tyla, Kelly, Sarah and Portia and some up and coming players like Gayle Broughton and Hazel Tubic who have been going exceptionally well and some new blood, so it's a great mix to take into the first tournament of the new season."

While the team secured their third straight Women's Sevens Series title last season and qualified for the Olympics by winning three tournaments, they dipped out in the last two events.

"We were happy, but got a bit ahead of ourselves. Other teams were hungry for it and we did drop off. Looking forward we know Australia and Canada are big threats. USA and France did extremely well and we have the old foes of England and Fiji so there's plenty of competition out there. We're excited about that and we'll embrace the challenge.

"We have a strong foundation, but we will have to work and experiment. We want to win the World Series and we're confident in our plans and processes."

The team for Dubai is: Ruby Tui, Hazel Tubic, Jordon Webber, Sarah Goss (c), Gayle Broughton, Tyla Nathan-Wong, Kelly Brazier, Katarina Whata-Simpkins, Portia Woodman, Niall Williams, Michaela Blyde, Shiray Tane

Dubai Sevens schedule
Thursday December 3
1:00pm (11am NZT) v Russia
4:00pm (1am Friday NZT) v Brazil
7:00pm (4am Friday NZT) v France
Friday December 4 - finals day