After all the speculation surrounding high-profile ‘converts’ from the fifteen-player version of rugby union, the Australian rugby union sevens squads have been named – and are filled with specialists at the shorter form.
There’s no place in the Australian men’s team for Wallabies Quade Cooper, Henry Speight or Nick Cummins – injury cruelling the hopes of the latter two, with Cooper’s move to French Rugby Union becoming a barrier to his participation in squad training.
Ed Jenkins will captain the men’s team, he’ll be joined by try-machine Henry Hutchison and goalkicker James Stannard.
The men’s team are ranked 4th in the world, but will face an uphill battle to beat medals favourites Fiji, South Africa and New Zealand.
Meanwhile, the women’s rugby sevens team is largely that which was expected, with a strong continuation from that which won the World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series earlier this year.
Australia go into the tournament as favourites, led by co-captains Shannon Parry and Sharni Williams and with flying backs Emilee Cherry and Ellia Green also on the plane.
The women’s team will however face stiff competition from New Zealand, as well as the expectations of going into the Rio Olympics as favourites.
Men’s rugby sevens team:
Nick Malouf, Jesse Parahi, Henry Hutchison, Lewis Holland, James Stannard, Con Foley, Cameron Clark, Pat McCutcheon, Ed Jenkins (c), Allan Fa’alava’au, John Porch, Tom Cusack
Women’s rugby sevens team:
Shannon Parry (c), Sharni Williams (c), Nicole Beck, Gemma Etheridge, Emma Tonegato, Evania Pelite, Charlotte Caslick, Chloe Dalton, Amy Turner, Alicia Quirk, Emilee Cherry, Ellia Green.
