SEVENS: Paewai pretty happy with players | Hawkes Bay Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Hawkes Bay

New Hawke's Bay Sevens coach Murdoch Paewai is a master of short team talks.

SportToday can predict the gist of a short and simple one Paewai (pictured) will deliver to his troops before tomorrow's five-team Hurricanes tournament in Waipukurau.

It will go something like this: "If you want to go to Queenstown we must finish first or second out of us, Horowhenua-Kapiti and Wanganui."

Only two of those three teams will qualify for the Queenstown-hosted national Sevens in January. Paewai isn't short of talent and for the first time in four seasons Hawke's Bay will be able to field Magpies squad members apart from those in line for Super 14 selection.

Paewai has Richard Buckman, Adam Bradey, Hugh Reed and former New Zealand Sevens player Nick Thomson from this year's Magpies Air New Zealand Cup team. He would have had Jason Kupa if he wasn't recovering from concussion.

Cook Islands Commonwealth Games representative Rangi Vallance is also on the injured list. Two teams from Manawatu will complete the entries.

"Apart from those two and a couple who are still playing league I'm pretty happy with the players I've got and how they have trained," said Paewai.

Former Magpie and experienced international Lote Raikabula and fellow internationals Tomasi Cama and Kurt Baker will play for Manawatu. Vallance's Cook Islands teammate, Ashley Drake, will play for Horowhenua-Kapiti.

New Zealand Sevens coach Gordon Tietjens is expected to check out the talent on display. His son Paul will play for Manawatu.

A Hastings Rugby and Sports Sevens team is playing in this weekend's 20th annual Sevens Heaven tournament in the Cook Islands. The 12-team event began today and continues tomorrow.

• Teams - page 12.