New Zealand's revised border status has opened the door to a long-awaited return to the world sevens stage.
The NZ Government has announced its border reopening plan - a four-stage process signalling the end of mandatory isolation quarantine.
While NZ Rugby is still working through the implications for Super Rugby Pacific and the All Blacks calendar, the All Blacks Sevens and the Black Ferns Sevens as the most immediate beneficiaries.
Since winning their respective world championships in 2020, the national men's and women's sides haven't featured on the circuit, due to MIQ restrictions, preparing remotely for the Tokyo Olympics.
They withdrew from this month's events at Malaga and Seville, but with the next round of the series scheduled for Singapore on April 9/10, the teams are optimistic of rejoining the fray.
Missing the opening tournaments would likely rule the Kiwi teams out of contention for their respective titles, but their inclusion would provide valuable game time they've lacked in recent years, particularly with the Birmingham Commonwealth Games - where they are both reigning gold medallists - and 2024 Paris Olympics looming.
"Like most New Zealanders, we see this as a big step in the right direction, especially for the ability of our teams to travel offshore and to know they have a clear pathway home," says NZR professional rugby and performance general manager Chris Lendrum.
"We can now plan with more certainty for our All Blacks Sevens and Black Ferns Sevens teams to reconnect into the World Rugby Sevens Series, and further out for our All Blacks and Black Ferns."
The first three weeks of Super Rugby Pacific will be played in Whakatipu and Dunedin, with all six NZ-based teams operating in their own bubbles at Queenstown.
Across the Tasman, there has been growing speculation the teams could then relocate to Australia for the rest of the competition, although the border announcement may help NZR avoid such a scenario.
"It's too far out for us to assess exactly what this means for Super Rugby Pacific and other international teams coming into New Zealand, but we will continue to work with the Government and our joint venture partners, Rugby Australia and SANZAAR," Lendrum adds.
