Black Ferns Sevens captain Sarah Hirini let the tears flow as she was sent off by her team with an emotional haka after injuring herself over the weekend.
Hirini went down in pool play at the Dubai Sevens tournament with a knee injury and had to watch from the sidelines as her side battled their way to the final before coming up just short 26-19 against Australia.
With the World Sevens Series heading to Cape Town this weekend, the Black Ferns Sevens had to split up with their injured skipper at Dubai International Airport - but made sure to let her know they were still with her in spirit.
The team performed their haka as Hirini watched on in a wheelchair with her knee in a brace, shedding tears as the emotion of the moment began to sink in.
It's not yet known the full extent of Hirini's injury but Tysha Ikenasio has been called in for the second tournament of the season.
The All Blacks Sevens have also been forced to make injury replacements for the South African leg of the series with Regan Ware concussed during pool play.
Ware will be replaced by Xavier Tito-Harris, after New Zealand claimed bronze in Dubai with a 12-7 victory over Fiji in the playoff for third.
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