World 7s Series title holders and Commonwealth Games gold medallists New Zealand have announced their squad for the forthcoming season.

Injuries to key players means the New Zealand Sevens squad named on Tuesday for the Dubai and South African sevens tournaments is be a mixture of experienced players and new faces.

It includes five players who are injured and five replacement players will assemble with the squad for final testing and training at Mount Maunganui this week. The squad will be reduced to 12 on Saturday with the team flying out to Dubai on Sunday.

The Dubai tournament is on December 6-7 with the South African tournament the following weekend in the coastal city of George.

The New Zealand Sevens squad for the 2002/2003 IRB World Sevens Series is:

Charles Baxter (Bay of Plenty), Craig De Goldi (Auckland), Jared Going (Northland), Tafai Ioasa (Wellington), Damian Karauna (Waikato), Liam Messam (Bay of Plenty), Dan Parkinson (Otago), Hayden Reid (North Harbour), Eric Rush (North Harbour), Iliesa Tanivula (Auckland), Karl Te Nana (North Harbour), Anthony Tuitavake (North Harbour), Amasio Valence (Auckland), Nathaniel Walker (Bay of Plenty) and Justin Wilson (Auckland).

New faces in the squad include Baxter, Messam, Tanivula and Walker.

New Zealand Sevens coach Gordon Tietjens said De Goldi, Going, Reid, Rush and Te Nana were unavailable due to injury. He said he would be monitoring the recovery of the players and they would come back into consideration when they were fit.

The following replacement players will join the squad this week for the final testing and training: Jerome Kaino (Auckland), Roy Kinikinilau (Wellington), Ross Martin (Bay of Plenty), Jason Tiatia (Canterbury) and Scott Waldrom (Wellington).