The Sevens circuit is constantly unearthing new and exciting talent, and with the Wellington tournament just hours away we thought we’d ask Sevens expert Maru Ririnui, of AtTheSevens.com for his tips on which players could burst on to the world scene this weekend.
Rocky Khan will debut for New Zealand and Gordon Tietjens may just start him at the first receiver position alongside Tomasi Cama. Khan has been great for Auckland in the last 3 years and is more than capable of lighting things up.
Samoan forward Lui Lolo is big, powerful and strong. Watch out for his long stride and good top-end pace if he gets a half chance.
England have a new exciting prospect in Jeff Williams. The South African is a special athlete with great speed for a big man. He’s been used sparingly so far but could just break out at the Cake Tin this weekend.
The USA’s Carlin Isles is the fastest man in the Series right now, bringing new meaning to the phrase ‘express pace’ with a personal best 100m time of 10.3.
In terms of a break-out side a lot of people are picking Canada to cause some upsets.
They have a settled squad who have been together for a while now. Half-back Phil Mack is a real character, Nathan Hirayama is a classy first receiver and Sean Duke a prolific try scorer out wide. Their forwards are just big, tough and fit. They play well as a team and are a good bet to get through to the Cup Quarters.
Photos courtesy of www.AtTheSevens.com
