New Zealand sevens coach Gordon Tietjens won't risk fast-tracking Sonny Bill Williams into his squad.

New Zealand were at the receiving end of five injuries during the opening tournament of the World Rugby Sevens Series in Dubai, but that hasn’t prompted Williams' inclusion in the side for the next round – the inuagural Cape Town Sevens tournament from 12-13 December.

Williams, a World Cup winner with the All Blacks in 2015, is contracted to the New Zealand Sevens squad for the season, but according to Tietjens he’ll only play when he’s ready and no sooner.

‘He’s never played sevens,’ said Tietjens. ‘We’ve got a plan for him and we’ll stick to that. He’ll come in really conditioned to play sevens and train with us and then, when it’s time to get him out, we will.’

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