New Zealand Rugby re-ignites search for future Sevens stars

New Zealand Rugby will re-ignite the search for future Sevens stars with a fourth edition of the highly successful Ignite7 tournament at Blake Park in Tauranga on 1-2 November.

Forty-eight promising young athletes will be selected to fill each of the four men’s and four women’s squads for a two-day tournament designed to unearth players with an eye to the 2028 LA Olympics and future cycles.

The athletes will be allocated to represent the men’s and women’s Bolt, Inferno, Power and Surge teams with the full squads to be announced within the next fortnight.

The tournament, which will be free to fans, will also feature the Black Ferns and All Blacks Sevens teams as they warm up for the upcoming 2025-26 World SVNS Series with matches against Australia and Fiji, while Japan’s women’s team will also be in attendance.

New Zealand Rugby Head of Men’s High Performance Mike Anthony said the Ignite7 format had proven its worth in the past.

“The numbers of players who have progressed through Ignite7 shows the value of the programme and we know that there is some talent that will emerge through our pathways in the next two years.

“This tournament week represents a massive opportunity for young players to showcase their talent and to rub shoulders with our current Black Ferns and All Blacks Sevens players and coaches. It’s an important step in our high performance sevens pathway.”

Ignite7’s legacy began in 2018 with youngster William Warbrick emerging as the standout from the inaugural tournament, then pressing on to represent the All Blacks Sevens at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Current Black Ferns fullback Renee Holmes and recent All Black halfback Kyle Preston are among the 2019 Ignite alumni, while 2020 saw teenagers Caleb Tangitau, Fehi Fineanganofo, Jazmin Felix-Hotham, Mahina Paul and Manaia Nuku progress through to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

New Zealand Rugby Head of Women’s High Performance Hannah Porter said there was no doubt new talent would emerge from the 2025 edition.

“There is incredible talent coming through in the women’s game. Some of the athletes at Ignite this year will be from the National Combine we ran earlier this year which unearthed some exceptional athletes, while others are further along in their development.

“We expect some stars will emerge quickly, but crucially this will also give us a chance to look further ahead at the athletes we believe can be ready for LA 2028 and build competition among a wider group of players.”