Black Ferns sevens captain Sarah Hirini is seeing the growth of rugby first hand as she prepares for the latest round of the World Series circuit in Japan

Kitakyushu will host it's third annual tournament this weekend.

Hirini says it's still not the biggest stop in terms of popularity on the circuit, but locals are growing more and more aware of the game with every visit.

She says the people of Japan are getting used to the game and they even get asked if they're rugby players when wandering around on the street.

New Zealand will play France, Russia and Japan in their pool.