New Zealand's Savea withdraws from Olympic contention

Julian Savea of New Zealand kisses the Webb Ellis Cup as he celebrates after beating Australia to win the Rugby World Cup final match at Twickenham in London, Britain, October 31, 2015. REUTERS/Paul Childs

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand's rugby sevens side suffered a major blow in their preparations for the Rio Olympics after loose forward Ardie Savea opted to withdraw from contention in order to concentrate on the 15-man game.

The 22-year-old openside flanker had played in two tournaments in the sevens World Series in Wellington and Sydney before returning to Super Rugby duty with the Hurricanes.