[Source: All Blacks]

Black Ferns 7s captain, Sarah Hirini will play in Japan between global 7s seasons as she aims to defend the Olympic Games gold medal in Paris next year.

She will take a short term leave to play for the Mie Pearls in the Taiyo Seimei Women’s 7s Series between May and July.

Her Black Ferns 7s commitments will not be interfered because she will travel to Japan after the World 7s Series concludes in Toulouse on May 14 and then return to New Zealand for the Olympic campaign.

The next series is set to begin in December, but no dates or venues have been set.

Hirini has played 17 tests as a loose forward for the Black Ferns 15s and won two World Cups in 2017 and 2022, but has long been a part of the sevens program since 2013.

She returned to sevens after starring in last year’s World Cup triumph on home soil and has confirmed she will do so until the Paris Olympics in 2024.