Experienced New Zealand sevens star DJ Forbes is in line to achieve the all-time tournament appearance record if he runs out at the HSBC Dubai Sevens.
Forbes was named as one of the 12 players to travel to Dubai for the opening round of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series and currently shares the tournament appearance record of 79 with Samoa's Uale Mai.
The 33-year-old stepped down as captain ahead of the 2015-16 series, with Scott Curry set to lead the side in Dubai. Curry suffered a shoulder injury at the opening round of the series last year, ruling him out of the following nine rounds.
The All Blacks Sevens finished third overall in 2015-16, winning three tournaments in Wellington, Sydney and Vancouver. At the Olympic Games in August, New Zealand finished fifth overall, but captain Curry is keen to get back on track in Dubai.
"The boys are excited about getting out there in Dubai and enjoying our rugby. There is a re-energised buzz in the team and a real feeling of excitement about the upcoming series," he said.
"Those of us who have been around a while have a new enthusiasm for the team and are taking more of a leadership role with the younger guys. It's great to be building a new team environment focused on our goals for the next four years.
"We are hurting from Rio, we have learnt a lot, but you can't dwell on the past. We have been training hard this week and are excited about getting back into tournament mode. We want to capitalise on the exciting new energy in the squad and translate that into success on the field in Dubai."
New Zealand squad: Scott Curry (captain), Tim Mikkelson, Antonio Kiri Kiri, DJ Forbes, Dylan Collier, Beaudein Waaka, Iopu Iopu-Aso, Rocky Khan, Sherwin Stowers, Jonathan Ruru, Isaac Te Tamaki, Sione Molia