Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Trio of All Blacks Sevens greats call time on iconic international careers

(Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images)

New Zealand Sevens made a significant announcement on Friday, revealing that three of the most decorated players in All Blacks Sevens history have hung up their boots. Tim Mikkelson, Scott Curry and Sam Dickson have called time on their illustrious sevens careers.

ADVERTISEMENT

Before the new HSBC SVNS Series season gets underway in Dubai from November 30 to December 1, the All Blacks Sevens have bid farewell to three icons of the sport, with the team now preparing for life without some heroes from years gone by.

Mikkelson, Curry and Dickson are all part of an exclusive rugby sevens club. There aren’t many men or women who have achieved that the trio have, considering they’ve won overall titles on the now-called SVNS Series, at the Sevens World Cup, and Commonwealth Games.

Related

All three have also captained the All Blacks Sevens.

In an interview with RugbyPass in May 2023, Dickson was in awe of Mikkelson ahead of the veteran’s 100th tournament. From a hotel room in Toulouse, Dickson wore a ‘Tim Mikkelson 100’ t-shirt in a special effort to truly celebrate the incredible milestone.

To this day, Mikkelson is the only New Zealand Sevens player to represent the nation at 100 sevens tournaments. The 38-year-old made 104 appearances – which is the second-most out of any player in sevens history – and is the fourth-highest try-scorer of all time.

Curry leaves the sport as one of the world’s best forwards, which included inspiring performances on last season’s SVNS Series and at the Paris Olympics. As a long-serving captain of the team, Curry bows out as a world-class talent, having 71 caps to his name.

Then there’s Dickson. The former New Zealand AFL representative was the most recent of the trio to captain the team – which is just one highlight to speak of. Dickson played 77 tournaments in the black jersey, which included three Commonwealth Games and three Sevens World Cups.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Scott, Tim and Sam have all made a significant contribution on and off the field to the All Blacks Sevens during their tenure. They have left an incredible mark on the game and have added to the legacy of the All Blacks Sevens,” New Zealand Rugby’s Head of Men’s High Performance, Mike Anthony, said in a statement.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by NZ Sevens (@nzsevens)

“The success they have had in the black jersey is a credit to their leadership, work ethic and dedication to the game. On behalf of New Zealand Rugby, I want to thank them for their incredible service and wish them well for their future endeavours.”

Dickson has confirmed that he’s retired from all rugby, but it’s not the same story for the other two as of yet.

ADVERTISEMENT

Mikkelson and Curry are only stepping away from the professional game at this stage.

Without the likes of Mikkelson, Curry, Dickson, Che Clark (Blues), Leroy Carter (Chiefs) and Fehi Fineanganofo (Hurricanes), this feels like the dawn of a new era for the All Blacks Sevens as they look ahead to Dubai and Cape Town to start the season.

HSBC SVNS Perth takes place on 24-26 January at HBF Park. Plan your ultimate rugby weekend in Western Australia with the help of flexible travel packages including tickets and accommodation. Buy Now or Find Out More.  

ADVERTISEMENT

LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

1 Comment
S
SadersMan 1 hr ago

As expected. They should've gone last cycle & left the Olympic trial lead-in period to the younger guys. Cleared the way instead of jamming the road. It's hard to compete with the mana of three legends past their prime. Still, well done on stellar careers, to all three.

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

S
SK 50 minutes ago
How can Scott Robertson revive the All Blacks’ playmaking ‘triple threat’?

Who are the best Full backs in the world right now? Ramos and Keenan appear a step above and the leaders in class, Le Roux is old but still a class act. All of these players are outstanding in their own right and all of them can do multiple things very well. They peel off territory with outstanding kicking in both attacking and defensive zones. They are all excellent under the high ball. They are all playmakers who step into the line at times at first receiver or in midfield and distribute perfectly to the edge. They can all function as strike runners or link players bringing others into the game. They are also all good as last line defenders. Now look at Jordan. A class act in his own way, an epic strike and broken-field runner. He is able to burst into space with intent, pace and power. He is an elite finisher and a really good one on one defender who is a solid last line of defence. He chips into space really well and regathers very nicely. He is however not a creative link and creates primarily for himself. He sees opportunities which he can exploit individually and rarely brings others into the game. He is not a big picture player. He is decent under the high ball but by no means outstanding. He is unable to control the pace of the game all that well, he doesn't always make the best decisions especially in his third as he is so zoned in on attack and does not control territory well. His boot is not as prodigious or educated as the aforementioned 15's. Jordan is a complete winger but he is nowhere near as complete a full back. He limits Robertsons options in terms of playmaking ability and that means more responsibility for the 10. There is a general acceptance of this and as long as Jordan is at 15 the 10 will have to shoulder the playmaking responsibility with Jordan sniffing out opportunities from the back. Jordie needs to give support in this regard and Robertson needs to give him more freedom to create. With Jordan at 15 does he really need Ioane at 13? Perhaps the AB's are focusing too much on strike runners and not enough attention on playmaking.

52 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING Paddy Jackson's second season at Lyon is all but over – report Paddy Jackson's second season at Lyon is all but over – report
Search