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Cape Town - New Zealand Sevens coach Gordon Tietjens says All Black superstar Sonny Bill Williams will have to wait a while longer before being included in the team.
Tietjens this week named three new caps for the Cape Town leg of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.
Of the three new caps, Bay of Plenty centre Teddy Stanaway was part of the New Zealand Sevens Development side that played in the Central Coast Sevens in October.
Wellington-based wing Max Pearson was a top try-scorer in the local club competition and played in the New Zealand Development side in the Noosa Sevens tournament, while Manawatu loose forward Antonio Kirikiri took part in the recent All Blacks Sevens Dubai training camp.
Ambrose Curtis also returns to the side after being a regular member of the All Blacks Sevens last season.
Pearson, Kirikiri, Waaka and Curtis travelled to Cape Town after several players were ruled out after picking up injuries in Dubai last weekend.
The injured players are: Scott Curry (dislocated shoulder), Gillies Kaka (ankle), Tim Mikkelson (concussion), Sherwin Stowers (broken arm), Regan Ware (ankle) and Lewis Ormond (bicep).
But there was still no call-up for Williams, who is earmarked to play in next year’s Olympics.
“He's never played Sevens," Tietjens told Rugby365 when asked why the 30-year-old All Black centre was still left on the sidelines.
"We've got a plan for him and we'll stick to that. He'll come in really conditioned to play sevens and train with us and then, when it's time to get him out, we will.
"That applies to so many others too. Wellington or Sydney they'll come in because we'll need them."
All Blacks Sevens squad for Cape Town Sevens:
Dylan Collier (Waikato)
Ambrose Curtis (Manawatu)
Sam Dickson (Canterbury)
DJ Forbes (Counties Manukau)
Antonio Kirikiri* (Manawatu)
Declan O’Donnell (Waikato)
Max Pearson* (Wellington)
Augustine Pulu (Waikato)
Teddy Stanaway* (Bay of Plenty)
Isaac Te Tamaki (Waikato)
Beaudein Waaka (Taranaki)
Joe Webber (Waikato)
*new cap
