23 May 2023

Four Black Ferns sevens players off to play in US

4:53 pm on 23 May 2023
Black Ferns Sevens Stacey Waaka.

Black Ferns Sevens player Stacey Waaka will play for New York in the US competition. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Four Black Ferns Sevens players are to play in the US women's sevens competition in the build up to the Paris Olympics.

Stacey Waaka, Manaia Nuku, Tysha Ikenasio and Kelsey Teneti will join All Blacks Sevens players Rhodes Featherston and Kitiona Vai have signed to play in the Premier Rugby Sevens compeition.

Waaka and Nuku will play for the New York Locals, while Ikenasio and Teneti will play for the Texas team.

Featherstone will play for the men's Texas Team and Vai will join the Southern Headliners.

All Blacks Sevens player Rhodes Featherstone.

All Blacks Sevens player Rhodes Featherstone. Photo: Photosport

The Black Ferns Sevens players will be away for seven weeks and will take part in three tournaments within the Eastern Conference and return to New Zealand to commence pre-season training in early August.

"We are wanting to provide all our contracted players with game time in the lead up to the Olympics (in Paris next year)," said Black Ferns Sevens head coach Cory Sweeney.

"Game time can be hard to come by outside of the Sevens World Series, so our players are excited by the chance to have sevens game time."

-RNZ