Kiwis bring new faces, including Indian-Fijian, into Wellington Sevens
(01-31 12:05)
Competition leaders New Zealand will be seeking a third straight victory on home soil this weekend in the fourth leg of the IRB Sevens World Series in Wellington.
The All Blacks are on a high after snatching a record-breaking fourth consecutive victory in the South African round of the series last month and coach Gordon Tietjens said they would find an extra gear in front of their home fans, AFP reports.
Tietjens has guided New Zealand to 10 titles since the Sevens began in 1999.
Newcomers Rocky Khan, a player with Indian and Fijian ancestry, and Gillies Kaka have been named in the squad.
New Zealand top the standings on 60 points, ahead of France (46), Fiji (44), South Africa (41) and Samoa (39).
They face a tough first game against England, with Spain and the USA also in their pool.
The New Zealanders are runaway favorites for the Wellington event but bookmakers, perhaps surprisingly, rank South Africa as next most likely team to emerge victorious this weekend.
The Springboks placed third in the South Africa and Australia legs, with coach Paul Treu saying his charges had to find a way to lift and win crunch games if they wanted to claim the Cup in Wellington.
South Africa's pool includes Wales, Canada and Samoa, one of the crowd-favorites in Wellington, which has a large expatriate Pacific island population.
This season's surprise package France, inspired by captain Vincent Deniau, will seek to maintain their momentum in a pool consisting of Argentina, Kenya and Tonga.
Fiji, the last non-local side to win in Wellington in 2010, have a tough pool comprising Australia, Scotland and Portugal.
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