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Important update on 1476AMWhy the All Blacks Sevens are NZR's 'forgotten team'
Sport Nation • April 17th, 2026 11:41 am
Photo: Photosport
The Hong Kong Sevens is always a standout on the rugby calendar, and its 50th anniversary only heightens the occasion - but as the spotlight falls on the global game, it also highlights a growing divide within New Zealand’s sevens programs.
The Black Ferns Sevens continue to set the standard, sitting eight points clear at the top of the standings in the new series format.
Their dominance has become the norm, built on a culture that continues to drive new players forward.
"It is the standard that those women have set for the best part of a decade, that now young players have come into the squad, they are training to play against the best in the world every week, every day," Rikki Swannell told Sport Nation Mornings.
"That's where they go at it. And so they are very acutely aware of the legacy that has been set, that the culture and the connection they have within the team is very strong.”
Yet even amid that success, concerns remain about the lack of a domestic sevens pathway in New Zealand.
"I would caveat that with a word of warning, and I've said it multiple times, that we have no sevens in New Zealand, there's no regional competition anymore, there is no provincial competition anymore." Swannell said.
That absence is beginning to show on the men’s side. The All Blacks Sevens sit fourth on the series table, 26 points behind leaders South Africa, and have struggled to string performances together.
Inconsistency remains their biggest hurdle.
“Very much rocks and diamonds for the men. Obviously winning in Dubai was a great boost for them a great start, but much at the same time, Tomasi Cama is plucking guys out of academies NPC, trying to sell the Sevens dream to them which has been done really well with Michael Manson out of Southland. But trying to turn them into Sevens players on the world stage is no easy thing," the veteran commentator said.
"Consistency has been their Achilles heel, and there's a bit of naivety in some of their sevens play because they're trying to figure it out on the fly but you know that's not good enough you're wearing a black jersey on in Hong Kong if that's not incentive enough to to fire then then nothing will be."
Karl Te Nana on a potential NZ Sevens tour stop | Sport Nation Afternoons
Former All Blacks Sevens star Karl Te Nana believes the team has slipped out of focus.
"I think they're the forgotten team," he told Sport Nation Afternoons.
Te Nana points to the steady flow of talent into the 15 a side game as proof sevens still has a place in New Zealand rugby.
"I'll speak about guys killing it in Super Rugby, the latest graduates, like Cody Vai and Leroy Carter, who went all the way to the Black jersey. There's always has been a place for us."
He believes better alignment between sevens and Super Rugby could help close the gap.
"There's probably some education needed around some super rugby coaches. We need to get out of these silos that seems to be happening in New Zealand rugby because it's hurting us at the top level, let's be honest with that.
"If we all get around the table and say, As a situation, look he's not here. He needs to run. Let's send him to Hong Kong for the week.
"He gets some time in the heat under battle. He's ready to go straight into the hurricanes if needed. And I think there's a lot of franchises that could do that with players returning to play and situations. And it doesn't have to be the whole season."
More broadly, he says the programme needs clarity and backing.
"They need more backing from the head office down in Wellington, from New Zealand rugby. I think there has to be a lot of thought on what they want to do with this programme. Are they committed to it or is it just a side piece?"
"I think a lot people need to get around the table and really push and figure out what we're doing with this in the men's outfit because it deserves it."
There are, however, hints of a reset. Conversations around reviving domestic sevens competitions are ongoing, with new venues potentially part of the solution.
"Just walking around the halls of the powers that be (NZ Rugby), there is an appetite for it and I've heard some whispers that potentially it could be coming back to NZ, there's still a lot of conversations to be had, but we have a pretty cool stadium opening up pretty soon in Christchurch, so that could be an option."
Listen to the full interview with Rikki Swannell below:
