Zar Lawrence has landed the captaincy reins of a New Zealand 7s team, who Coach Gordon Tietjens senses may be losing their aura.

New Zealand will be without several prominent players for the fourth round of the IRB Sevens series in San Diego this weekend, and Tietjens believes his young side will have a fight on their hands simply to reach the semifinals.

Lawrence succeeds successful skipper DJ Forbes, who was ruled out with a fractured foot, while injury has also rubbed out playmaker Tomasi Cama and powerhouse forward Edwin Cocker.

The USA 7s tournament in San Diego starts tomorrow morning with the opening match between Digicel Fiji 7s team and Wales at 5:20am.