Sharni Williams has hatched a bold plan to flip to the Wallaroos for this year’s 15-a-side World Cup after she reaches the summit again as a world champion in Sevens.
Guiding frontrunners Australia to the ideal result at this weekend’s HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series tournament in Langford, Canada is her sole focus for now.
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Winning or coming second will be enough to deliver the crown to the resurgent Aussies as World Series champions with a tournament in Paris still to play.
It would be a third World Series crown for one of the legends of women’s sevens after the successes of 2015-16 and 2017-18.
The Olympic champions from New Zealand are back at Langford for their first tournament of the season to heat up the competition.
Now 34, only five women have played more than the 207 matches that Williams has poured into her World Series sevens career over the past 12 years.
The Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in July-August is a sevens target she relishes but what comes next is intriguing.
The Rugby World Cup for women in New Zealand in October-November has great status and Williams has proven she can make the sudden switch to 15s before.
She is already a veteran of three World Cups, including the 2010 campaign in England when the Wallaroos finished third for their best-ever finish.
In both 2014 and 2017, Williams played elite sevens and 15s as a strong-running centre in the same year.
“It’s a really exciting year with all the tournaments coming up. We’ve done the hard work and really want to make sure we are No.1 with how we perform in Canada,” Williams said.
“There’s obviously Comm Games (Birmingham) and Rugby World Cup Sevens (Cape Town) coming up and the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.
“After being locked down for so long, it’s great to have the skills of women’s rugby unleashed so we are in the fight with NRLW and AFLW in Australia.”
When asked if her insatiable appetite for rugby might make the 2032 Brisbane Olympics a target, Williams took the question the way it was intended.
She laughed: “I may be helping the pathway but I’m looking at 44 there!
“These are exciting times for girls in our sevens squad to make a name for themselves.
“‘Freak’ is the right word for some of them.
“It’s a big year. My plan is to transfer across to 15s to have a crack at playing at the World Cup at the end of the year.
“Going straight in is going to be pretty tough but I’ve done it before.”
That’s exciting news. Later in the year, Williams’ professionalism and experience can add a hard edge to the exciting yet largely inexperienced Wallaroos squad announced this week for Tests against Fijiana (May 6) and Japan (May 10).
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Wallaroos head coach Jay Tregonning said he was encouraged by the lift in standard of this year’s Super W competition because of the involvement of champions Fijiana Drua.
“The standard definitely lifted having an international side in our domestic competition,” Tregonning said.
He revealed that the possibility for sevens stars to integrate into the Wallaroos program later in the year was in its infancy.
“All the sevens girls have been asked if they are interested in the 15s program but those responses are still being gathered,” he said.
“They have a massive season to concentrate on first. Yes, some may be interested and it will also depend on the needs of our team.
“I’ve spoken briefly to Sharni. She obviously has great experience as a 15s player as well. I was an assistant coach on the 2014 World Cup squad so I know first-hand that the right sevens player can have an impact with their professionalism and playing ability.”
