Hong Kong Sevens: All Blacks captain Collier backs defending champions to handle pressure, confident despite slump in form
- New Zealand begin their Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens title defence against Great Britain on Friday
- Kiwi women on high after successive tournament triumphs, aiming for repeat Hong Kong success
New Zealand captain Dylan Collier said his team would manage the pressure of wearing the storied All Blacks jersey, when they bid to defend their Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens title this week.
Collier, who replaced Scott Curry as skipper last year, is fit again after missing the past two tournaments, in Los Angeles and Vancouver, because of injury.
By their own high standards, the Kiwis have endured a rotten few months. They found themselves scrapping with Samoa for 10th spot in world series legs in Perth and Los Angeles, with mixed success, either side of losing the Vancouver final to series leaders Argentina.
“There is pressure every time you wear the All Blacks’ jersey, the jersey demands we win,” Collier, who will make his sixth Hong Kong appearance, said.
“We are pretty confident, although we have not been playing as well as we want. We did well in Hong Kong last year, and are happy with how we have been training and preparing.
“If you trust your processes, you enjoy the game. We get to do this for a living, so we embrace the pressure, and back what we do.”
