ALL Blacks Sevens coach Gordon Tietjens has included two new caps in his squad for their home round of the HSBC Sevens World Series, the Hertz Sevens in Wellington on February 1-2.
Gillies Kaka and Rocky Khan join the Series leaders' squad as they attempt to secure a third successive title at the Westpac Stadium, but Tietjens knows it will be a tough challenge to enjoy more success on home soil.
"The squad has worked really hard coming into Wellington and it's always a pretty special tournament for the players, but as is always the case we have had to make some hard decisions," said Tietjens.
"We have got a lot to build on given our good start to the season and I know the guys are really excited about playing in front of a home crowd. We won last year in Wellington so it would be fantastic to back up last year's victory.
"But we will have to work hard. The competition is getting tougher every year and our competitors will be looking to make up ground on us here so it will be a challenging two days."
The All Blacks Sevens will face USA, England and Spain in Pool A on day one.
All Blacks Sevens squad
Kurt Baker, Tomasi Cama, Sam Dickson, DJ Forbes (captain), Gillies Kaka*, Rocky Khan*, Ben Lam, Luke Masirewa, Tim Mikkelson, Lote Raikabula, David Raikuna, Belgium TuatagaloaTaranaki.