WATCH LIVE STREAMING OF THE CHINA SEVENS ON WSWS.IRB.COM ON 30-31 MARCH
New Zealand women’s Sevens coach Sean Horan has named two new faces in his squad for the third leg of the IRB Women’s Sevens World Series in Guangzhou, China.Olivia Bird of Canterbury and Kristina Sue of Manawatu join a group that also sees the return of Tyla Nathan-Wong and Ruby Tui, who did not travel to the last tournament in Houston, USA.
"This is a fantastic opportunity for Olivia and Kristina and I know it will be a proud moment for them and their families when they run out for the first time,” Horan said.
New Zealand go into the tournament as Series leaders, having won the first-ever WSWS event, in Dubai, and finishing fourth in Houston. They head pool A which includes Netherlands, South American champions Brazil and African champions Tunisia.
“We are very excited about China," said Horan. "We came away from both the Dubai and Houston tournaments with some really important learnings and we want to make sure that we continue our growth, and continue developing our team.
“This is our first team since naming a High Performance Squad of 26 and everyone has been working hard for selection."
Squad: Shakira Baker, Olivia Bird, Kelly Brazier, Sarah Goss, Honey Hireme, Linda Itunu, Huriana Manuel (captain), Kayla McAlister, Tyla Nathan-Wong, Kristina Sue, Ruby Tui, Portia Woodman
