If there are two players who understand the significance of big events, it's Australia Sevens Olympic gold medalist Alicia Lucas and 15-capped Wallaby Nick Cummins.
As rugby royalty acknowledged one year until the 2027 Rugby World Cup kicks off - marking 40 years and the 11th iteration of the tournament - the two stars believe Australia is set to be left ‘gobsmacked’ as more teams and events will take the tournament to new heights.
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Cummins, who enjoyed a strong career at the Western Force and the Wallabies plus winning silver at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi as part of the men’s sevens side, believes the success of the Wallabies in recent times is serving as a taster for what’s to come.
“Mate, it's coming, it is coming, 365 talking,” Cummins said.
“I don't think Australia is ready for what's coming to our shores, the excitement, the infectious energy that gets thrown about.
“Imagine charging through the streets and everyone's [there] whether you've got kilts or they've got this and that, they're singing, they're chanting, there's banners, there's colours, there's even people you don't even know what they're saying, can't really understand the language but it seems like you do because it's all about bum taps and high energy.
“It brings everyone together, but not just for Aussie friends and family, the global cultures, countries at large, it brings everyone together.
“But for Australia, we're going to be the ones who benefit the most. I think Australia needs this injection, the world needs an injection of colour, and you're going to see that here with all these people, like-minded and looking for a good time.”
Cummins, who was also at the Wallabies victory in Perth on Sunday night, also believes the current Wallabies have what it takes to go deep into the tournament.
“I lost my voice actually after it, it's just coming good now,” Cummins laughed.
“Mate, seeing the boys out there, they were sharp, I think you can see the confidence coming through there…they weren't afraid to have a stab, have a shot, have a crack and even being a young mob, the boys are showing good things early.
“We've got a big Nations Championship coming up, what a great playground coming into what's going to be a cracker tournament, a great opportunity to sharpen the sword so when kick-off comes, day one, [they’ll] wheel it out and rip in.”
Lucas, meanwhile, was part of the now legendary Australian women’s sevens side that won gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics, kickstarting a rich vein of form that continues to this day, and believes that the biggest stage will result in the best rugby possible.
“Playing on the biggest stage that's available to rugby is an incredible opportunity, and it's such an exciting one that the players a year out will be starting to put their mind towards and be thinking about,” Lucas added.
“I think that comes with a huge amount of weight on it as well, but such anticipation and excitement because you know that the best of the best are going to be involved.
“It's going to be the biggest Rugby World Cup that we have ever experienced, so I think that we’ll be absolutely buzzing.
“They're [fans] getting micro-dosed at the minute with the amount of global competitions that are going on around the world too, so I just think there's such a good buzz around it from the players' perspective, it's the one that they really want to benchmark and do their best at.”
With the women’s Rugby World Cup also coming to Australia in 2029, Lucas had the chance to experience the rapidly developing women’s game last year in England - with the atmosphere of that tournament rubbing off on many fans.
“I had the privilege of being over at the Women's Rugby World Cup last year in England, and I think if we get a micro-dose of that atmosphere down here it's going to be exceptional,” Lucas added.
“I want the Australian public to experience how global our game is, and you get that little doses of international culture and the ability to engage with different nations and nationalities.
“It's something that you don't really experience unless you have a big national tournament, and I think Australia will be gobsmacked at how fun and exciting and lively all of the international fans are.
“Rugby fans know how to have fun, they know how to show up, they know how to support their teams, and they also are really good at getting around other rugby teams and getting on a bandwagon and just creating really good hype around the game.
“It's going to be really, really fun to be part of.”
