Kurt Baker won't be playing in Rio, meaning no thumbs up try celebrations.

Kurt Baker can't hide his disappointment and confusion at missing out on the New Zealand Sevens team for the Rio Olympics.

The 27-year-old could argue he was New Zealand's best, most consistent player for large parts of the past season as his side finished third in the World Rugby Sevens Series.

He was New Zealand's second top try scorer with 20, the second top points scorer on 148, second in runs made, third in clean breaks and the third top tackler. Only one man played more games than Baker's 44 in 2016, with Gillies Kaka pipping him at 45, meaning he was also reliable when it came to fitness.

PHOTOSPORT Sevens coach Sir Gordon Tietjens couldn't find space for Kurt Baker in his side for Rio.

But despite the stats, which simply back up the play seen on the field, Baker wasn't deemed good enough to make the New Zealand squad for the Olympic Games by coach Gordon Tietjens.

READ MORE:

* Dickson's startling sevens recovery

* SBW and sister bound for Rio

* Messam's head held high

* Titch: We can win gold

* Messam in doubt for Rio

According to Baker, the reasons given for his omission were a drop off in form and concerns over whether he could last a three day tournament.

Baker was baffled.

"To be fair I found it pretty interesting considering I'd lasted a few [three day tournaments] through the year" Baker said.

"I was initially pretty disappointed, but I suppose at the end of the day it was Titch's decision. He's probably going to have to live with it more than me."

"I would have loved to have been part of it, but the coach makes the final call and he chose not to take me."

Baker said he felt as though he had done enough, and performed to a high enough level, to be given a ticket to Rio.

"I'm not one to blow my own trumpet, but I honestly thought I'd done enough through the year to prove that I could be valuable going to Rio, but I don't know. Something must have changed in the period of the last couple of tournaments and now.

"I still feel like I did everything I could to make the team, and at the end of the day it's Titch's decision not to take me.

"I missed Dubai and Africa at the end of last year, when I was still a part of the Highlanders, and then I started in Wellington and played every tournament since.

"That's probably the hardest thing, the fact that I was part of everything apart from the one tournament that would have been nice to be a part of."

Tietjens - who was unavailable for comment on Thursday - selected a 14 man squad for Rio, including two travelling reserves in Sione Molia and Lewis Ormond.

Baker and Liam Messam were the major shocks in being left out of the squad, although Messam's omission made more sense given injury and form issues he'd suffered all year.

He said he felt for Messam, but both players were on standby " in case two or three of them fall over" before the Games.

"[Messam] struggled the whole year with calves and he had some niggly injuries which made his life pretty hard," Baker said.

"He's pretty optimistic about things and I think he was on the back foot from the get go and didn't get a good crack at consistent sevens."

The positive for Baker is that his future is secure.

Following the completion of the Rio Olympics, Baker will head to the northern hemisphere to take up a contract with Italian side Zebre in the Pro12 and the Heineken Cup.

"I'll probably go there as soon as I'm contractually allowed to go there. I'll be really keen to start contributing to that environment.

"You could look at [the move] as a silver lining. I've been excited to make that next move the whole year, but it doesn't change what I was trying to do for the sevens jersey.

"It doesn't fix the disappointment, but it's exciting that there is something else for me to look forward to."

Sign up here for the Rio Olympics: Going for Gold newsletter