It’s a mix of development and World Series preparation for Australia’s Sevens, announcing their teams for this weekend’s Oceania Sevens.
The Fiji tournament is the final competition before the World Series kicks off in Dubai on the first weekend of December and the reigning World Series champion women’s team are blooding some new faces.
Hannah Southwell, Emma Sykes and Shanice Parker are all set for their national debuts in the tournament and Australian Women’s coach Tim Walsh said the competition would prove crucial ahead of Dubai.
“We have had a great preparation period leading into this tournament and we are looking forward to continuing to build momentum towards Dubai,” he said.
“We know that this tournament is going to be incredibly tough and we will need to adapt to the challenges that come our way.
“For our young players such as Georgie (Friedrichs), Emma, Hannah and Shanice, this tournament is only going to add to their growing experience at International level and hold them in good stead moving forward.”
Australia’s men have taken a developmental approach to the tournament, with a view to looking at their next generation of players after post-Olympic tournover.
“We are in a unique period for the Australian Men’s Sevens team having been through a changing of the guard after Rio,” coach Andy Friend said.
“For a coach it’s an exciting period as we move to create the building blocks for a strong team for the future
“We have seen players really stand up and be counted at training but now is the time for that to translate to the field and we are looking forward to what the Oceania Rugby Sevens Championship has to throw at us."
The Oceania Sevens starts on November 11, in Suva, Fiji.
Australian Men’s Squad
John Porch (C)
Sam Croke
Bennett Leslie
Conor Mitchell
Tom Connor
Liam McNamara
Josh Coward
Mick Adams
Charlie Taylor
Alex Gibbon
Simon Kennewell
Sam Caslick
Australian Women’s Squad:
Shannon Parry (c)
Sharni Williams (c)
Tiana Penitani
Mahalia Murphy
Emma Tonegato
Emma Sykes
Hannah Southwell
Shanice Parker
Brooke Anderson
Alicia Quirk
Georgie Friedrichs
Dom Du Toit
