Samu key to Tasman making sevens inroads [Nelson Mail]
Tasman sevens coach Gary Stevens takes the forwards through some scrum practice during training on Tuesday night.
Powerhouse loose forward Pete Samu has significantly bolstered the Tasman sevens squad ahead of this weekend's national sevens tournament in Rotorua.
The 23-year-old Tasman Makos blindside flanker is one of three changes to the team that reached the final of the southern region qualifying tournament late last year, with Wanderers No 8 Tone Ng Shiu and Marist halfback Shawn Begg also making the final cut.
The Turf Hotel Tasman sevens team has never reached the cup section of the national tournament and coach Gary Stevens said that finishing in the top two of their pool and progressing through to the quarterfinals will be a realistic aim with the squad that has been selected.
However, it will be no easy feat with central region winners Taranaki, Northland and Horowhenua Kapiti joining them in Pool A.
"Our approach every year is to try to make it into that top echelon," Stevens said. "Going into a cut-throat tournament like nationals where the quality is very good - the best 16 teams in the country are here - there's certainly a mental approach that we need to take into the tournament of being positive and playing with the ball.
"In the past, teams that have gone in a little gun-shy or under-prepared have been shown up and I think that was the case last year with this group."
The addition of Samu, who played 10 matches in his debut season for the Makos, is a big boost, especially as Tasman have been unable to secure the services of any of their Super Rugby players. It had initially been hoped that Crusaders wider training squad players David Havili and Billy Guyton would be available, but that wasn't to be.
"They would've added so much value to what we're trying to achieve up there. But we know what the Super programme is like and every year we think we'll have players but then they're made unavailable. We were planning on that."
Stevens said the team - which pushed Canterbury all the way in the southern region final - will look to utilise the strengths of the strong-running Samu.
"His natural instinct is to be evasive and look for opportunities to beat players so I think it'll be a natural transition for him into sevens," Stevens said.
"It was unfortunate he didn't get picked up [by a Super Rugby franchise] but I imagine he was involved in a lot of discussions.
"I'm certainly one for a positive game-plan - players who can be both evasive and quick and skilful but also be hard and direct if required."
There are three omissions from the team that contested the southern regional tournament with Mackenzie Haugh away playing for the New Zealand under-21 touch team, Devon Scott out injured and Kerehama Barrett not selected.
The team will once again be captained by Trael Joass and has a good blend of youth and experience, with New Zealand under-20 trialists Fletcher Matthews and Te Puoho Stephens joining former Tasman Makos Begg, Kaide Whiting and Sione Holani.
Daniel Baxter, Jesse Pitman, Daniel Hytongue and Aleni Ropati round out the squad.
Tasman's first game of the Bayleys National Sevens is against Northland at 11:45am tomorrow.
Selected matches from across the two-day tournament this weekend will be screened live on Sky Sport.Their other pool matches are against Horowhenua Kapiti at 3pm and Taranaki at 6pm.
- The Nelson Mail
