Qantas Australian Men's Sevens Head Coach Geraint John has named an extended 14-man squad for the penultimate leg of the 2014/15 HSBC Sevens World Series at Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow (9-10 May).
Alex Gibbon has been recalled to the squad for the first time since the Port Elizabeth leg in December, while Lewis Holland and James Stannard return after recovering from muscle injuries that ruled them out of Hong Kong and Tokyo.
Bradley Wilkin, meanwhile, is unavailable for the final two legs of the season as part of a mutual agreement between the Australian Sevens program and the Under 20s that allows the Queenslander to play in the forthcoming Oceania Rugby Junior Championship and the World Rugby Under 20 Championships in June.
Australia are fifth in the 2014/15 HSBC Sevens World Series - nine points behind fourth-placed England - with two legs remaining on the calendar. The top four countries, along with hosts Brazil, will qualify automatically for the Rio 2016 Olympics. Teams that finish outside of the top four will go through to an Olympic Regional Qualifying Tournament in November.
Qantas Australian Men's Sevens Head Coach Geraint John said: "The camp is in good spirits and we've prepared well since returning from Tokyo which has made my final squad particularly difficult to choose.
"It's great to have the experience of James [Stannard] and Lewis [Holland] back in the fold but I'm delighted to welcome Alex Gibbon into the party that will travel to Glasgow. Naturally, Alex has been frustrated at his lack of playing time this calendar year but he has shown the right attitude in training and he performed well at the National Championships in March so he has deserved his opportunity.
"Obviously Tokyo was a disappointment for us, but we can now only affect the future. There's no doubt we have a tough draw in Glasgow but it's a challenge we are looking forward to meeting head on. England are in good form after winning in Japan last time out, while France will be hungry to continue their rapid improvement. Russia will be joining the series next year and will be eager to show what they can do on the world stage."
Qantas Australian Men’s Sevens results in Glasgow, Scotland, 9-10 May:
Australia v England, Pool A, 8.14pm AEST
Australia v France, Pool A, 11.42pm AEST
Australia v Russia, Pool A, 2.31am AEST
Qantas Australian Men’s Sevens squad for the 2014/15 HSBC Sevens World Series in Glasgow, Scotland (two to be omitted):
Cameron Clark. Club: Northern Suburbs, NSW. Hometown: Sydney, NSW
Tom Cusack. Club: Canberra Royals, ACT. Hometown: Canberra, ACT
Allan Fa'alava'au. Club: Endeavour Hills, VIC. Hometown: Melbourne, VIC
Con Foley. Club: University of Queensland, QLD. Hometown: Fairfield, QLD
Pama Fou. Club: Souths, QLD. Hometown: Brisbane, QLD
Alex Gibbon. Club: Southern Districts, NSW. Hometown: Lismore, NSW
Lewis Holland. Club: Queanbeyan Whites, NSW. Hometown: Queanbeyan, NSW
Greg Jeloudev. Club: Sydney University. Hometown: Sydney, NSW
Ed Jenkins. Club: Sydney University, NSW. Hometown: Sydney, NSW
Tom Lucas. Club: Sunnybank, QLD. Born: Rockhampton, QLD
Nick Malouf. Club: Sydney University, NSW. Hometown: Robertson, QLD
Sam Myers. Club: Northern Suburbs, NSW. Hometown: Grenfell, NSW
Jesse Parahi. Club: Northern Suburbs, NSW. Hometown: Avoca Beach, NSW
James Stannard. Club: Souths, QLD. Hometown: Brisbane, QLD
