The All Blacks Sevens suffered their worst SVNS season ever in 2024/25, failing to win a cup match and ending seventh out of 12 groups within the league standings.
Veteran Andrew Knewstubb, who debuted for the All Blacks Sevens in Sydney in 2017 and has competed in 41 tournaments whereas scoring 63 tries and accumulating 787 factors, has been enjoying for Canterbury within the NPC and can return to the All Blacks Sevens with a renewed perspective.
“Final season was actually difficult. There was a major private change after the Olympics, which we knew was coming, however it took us longer to reset than we might have preferred,” Knewstubb admitted to RugbyPass.
“You make investments 4 years attempting to win the Olympics, and if you get a disappointing consequence like we did, it’s devastating. It was bodily and mentally draining.
“With all of the modifications and losses, our group tradition was up and down. There have been disagreements between gamers and administration. Some gamers have been placing in 150 per cent, whereas others have been solely at 50 per cent. We weren’t on the identical web page. Now we have to work tougher and smarter to beat this.
“How can we do it? That’s a tricky query. As a senior participant, I’m seeking to lead by instance and make the setting as pleasing as doable. Studying from errors and having trustworthy conversations when vital is important too.
“The expertise coming by is sharp. Frank Vaenuku is barely 20, and he’s a beast. Ollie Mathis is an superior man who works actually laborious. Joey Taumateine is one other participant I price extremely.
“However it’s powerful on a regular basis now; there aren’t any simple video games. Typically it may well come all the way down to a little bit of luck, a referee’s name, or accidents.”
The All Blacks Sevens gained 12 of the primary 14 SVNS titles. Within the final decade, Knewstubb has been a part of the one different two All Blacks Sevens groups to win general SVNS honours along with a Rugby World Cup and Commonwealth Video games gold medal in 2018 and a silver medal on the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. He acknowledges that the calibre of opposition has elevated, citing Argentina (SVNS champions for the previous two seasons) and Spain as formidable challengers.
“Argentina is among the most skilled groups on the circuit. They perceive the sport and their roles, as proven by their means to deal with strain and win matches.
“Spain’s means to take care of possession for prolonged durations is uncanny. Regardless of how match you might be, in case you can’t get the ball, you’ll ultimately crack.
“They’re all robust, quick athletes, and so they carry one thing totally different to the sport, footwork from their soccer abilities. Once you play in opposition to Southern Hemisphere opponents, their methods and the way they wish to beat a person. Spain is extra unpredictable in that regard.”
Knewstubb confronted two ruptured ACLs, infections, extended hospital stays, and psychological uncertainty in 2022 and 2023, challenges that just about ended his All Blacks Sevens profession. Nevertheless, the guitar and Patu carver exudes mana and resilience.
“I haven’t spent a lot time eager about how fortunate I’m to be enjoying or what I is perhaps doing if I weren’t. I labored laborious to return again to make sure I wasn’t fragile, and I wish to maintain enjoying this sport so long as I can,” Knewstubb mentioned.
Searching for a brand new problem and seeking to additional enhance his all-around sport, he has performed all 11 matches for Canterbury, switching between first five-eighths and fullback within the NPC.
On Saturday night time, Canterbury will host Hawke’s Bay in Christchurch in a semi-final. They beforehand defeated the Magpies 26-7 in the course of the spherical robin in Napier on August 22. The Purple and Blacks topped the spherical robin with eight wins and a attract ten matches. Final Sunday, they edged previous Counties Manukau in a dramatic extra-time match, profitable 23-15 within the quarterfinals.
“I’ve virtually needed to relearn easy methods to play fifteens. The longer sport period and totally different footage on assault and defence are the obvious variations. Taking part in at first 5 or fullback additionally requires good kicking as territory is so vital,” Knewstubb defined.
“The most important distinction I’ve observed since I final performed fifteens for Tasman in 2021 is the elevated ruck velocity. The ball is in play rather more now, and the sport is far sooner.
“The match in opposition to Counties was laborious yakka. She was blowing a gale, and Counties performed sensible within the first half by conserving the ball for prolonged durations and being very bodily. We have been bloody knackered. Within the second half, we managed to take a leaf from their e book and get the higher hand in further time.”
The final time Canterbury performed an NPC playoff match that went to further time was within the 2018 last, the place they misplaced to Auckland 40-33 at Eden Park. In a semi-final in 2012, Canterbury triumphed over Taranaki 51-27 in further time in Christchurch, with All Blacks prop Wyatt Crockett scoring two tries. Canterbury then went on to defeat Auckland 31-18 within the last.
On September 6, Knewstubb began at fullback when Canterbury slayed Southland 54-14 in Invercargill, profitable the Ranfurly Defend for the primary time since 2020 and securing a file seventeenth profitable problem since 1927. Canterbury responded to the problem from Tasman on September 14 with a 31-25 victory, highlighted by All Blacks hooker George Bell scoring a strive after the siren to clinch the match. Knewstubb recognized this win as a spotlight of his 18-game Canterbury profession.
“I used to be arrange for a drop objective and thought, ‘Struth, am I truly going to must kick this?’ Out of the blue, George Bell discovered a spot. It was epic to win like that.”
Canterbury’s solely loss in 2025 got here by the hands of Otago six days later once they surrendered the Defend. A draw in opposition to Northland on September 28 raised additional concern; nonetheless, these worries have been dispelled by a decisive 34-14 win over Taranaki, wherein Maori All Black Zach Gallagher scored three tries.
“We’ve obtained a great bunch of boys with a great steadiness between youth and expertise. Everybody will get alongside, which suggests we don’t take one another too significantly off the sector, however when it’s time to change on, we’re all on the identical web page,” Knewstubb mentioned.
