Aussie Sevens star Henry Hutchison has signed with the Melbourne Rebels until the end of 2019.
The 20-year-old will join the club in 2018, having finished the 2016/17 Sevens World Series as Australia's leading try scorer.
Hutchison's journey to a Super Rugby contract has been a meteoric one, as he quickly shifted from Australian Schoolboys star to bonafide Sevens stud as an 18-year-old.
He was the 2016 World Rugby Sevens Rookie of the Year and has scored 52 tries in 91 Sevens matches since making his Australian Sevens debut in 2015.
He will not be the biggest winger in Super Rugby at 175cm and 86kg but his innate strength, combined with sheer athleticism, makes him very tough to handle.
The Riverview product has shown he can transfer his talents back to the 15-man game with a string of strong performances for the Australian U20s in Georgia in the past fortnight and as such, this is a significant signing for the Rebels, given their future is yet to be guaranteed.
“I’m excited to live out my childhood dream of playing Super Rugby in the city of Melbourne with a sporting culture that is second to none," Hutchinson said.
"I played all my secondary school rugby in Melbourne so its great to get back down to Melbourne and represent the state in Super Rugby.
“The Rebels have shown me they have a clear direction for my role in the squad which gives me confidence as I move out of home to live independently down here.
“Seeing the club successfully transition players like Sean McMahon, Tom English and Pama Fou from the Sevens program, shows they rate that skill set and can provide me support as I continue to develop my 15 man game.”
Rebels CEO Baden Stephenson is ecstatic to have Hutchison on board.
"Henry’s a world class athlete that has successfully performed on rugby’s biggest stages and proven that he’s a consistent try scorer with elite speed,” Rebels CEO Baden Stephenson said.
“He’s got a great desire to learn and dominate the 15-man code like he’s done in the Sevens format so we look forward to him joining the club and having an impact with the Melbourne Rebels in 2018.”
