New-look 7s line-up in store for Samoa

Samoa will almost have to start from scratch when the next World Sevens Series campaign gets underway.

RNZ reports the Manu finished in ninth place last season, their first under new coach Damian McGrath.

The squad reached the quarter finals or better at four of ten tournaments, highlighted by victory in the penultimate round in Paris.

Captain Falemiga Selesele was named in the Series Dream Team while Phoenix Hunapo-Nofoa was nominated for Rookie of the Year.

But Damian McGrath said both players are unlikely to return.

"We just have the three home-based players from last year with us training so we're not training as a squad - most of the other players have gone to New Zealand or a couple are discussing contracts in Europe, so we're spread far and wide. At the moment we're looking to try and recruit, between now and the start of the Series, a group of new players together to represent Samoa," he said.

"There will be some on-island players and I think we have had great success with the Samoan players who are (based) in New Zealand last year so I think we will do something similar. We got Phoenix Hunapo-Nofoa from New Zealand so I'm sure there are other gems, who have been missed by the New Zealand system, who are eligible to represent Samoa."

"Phoenix has been offered contracts in Europe so I'm in constant touch with him. He's looking at options but if those don't come to pass I'm hoping that Phoenix could well be available for us. Falemiga is different - he's with Hawkes Bay in the (New Zealand provincial competition) at the moment and I know he sees his future now in fifteens, as he looks to try and cash in on his well-earned success of last year," said McGrath.

"Selfishly you'd like to keep everybody here but it's the way of the world for the Pacific Islands teams that they get exposure on the sevens circuit and then unfortunately have to go elsewhere to cash in on that success. We can't pay the players enough to make them full-time and it's disappointing that we may lose 50 percent of last years squad. I think this year we could have made real noise if we kept the majority of the players but the players have to go where the money is and, unfortunately for us, it's elsewhere.

Damian McGrath said the few players that remain in the sevens reckoning started pre-season training a month ago, alongside the Samoa A squad and players involved in the SRU Academy.

The new World Sevens Series kicks off in Dubai in December.