Alicia Lucas column: Less ‘crunning’ and more sevens for Aussie stars

Preseason. The most dreaded word in the sevens world. Requiring immense physical and mental preparation due to the nature of sevens being fast-paced, high-energy and big physical load, both running and collision-wise. To get yourself ready to compete on the HSBC SVNS Series is something many players dread when that time of year for preseason to begin comes around again. And trust me, it comes. Year after year, season after season, with coaching staff finding new camps, new hills or new gruelling ways to get that extra 1% out of their elite sevens players.

As a former player, I have had it drilled into me from my first ever preseason that it is the scars of preseason that you are meant to remember or draw upon in the depths of a final or the back end of a long hard season. That you’ve been to tougher places repeatedly before than just a single 14-minute game that you are in at that moment.

Current Australian Women 7s superstars, Maddison Levi and Faith Nathan aren’t slouches when it comes to hard work, but getting yourself back into world-class form after a good offseason pushes the best of the best to their limits. “Gritty”, “tough” and “hard”. That’s how these preseason veterans described their current preseason undertaking, with Faith in the depths of preseason number nine and Maddi number six.

For both Faith and Maddi, the word ‘crunning’ is their preseason gauge of how many scars they will develop each cycle. Crunning, you ask? Crunning is “crying” and “running” at the same time. When you are physically so drained and emotionally so spent that the two happen simultaneously (not scientifically backed – just proven in practice). The term crunning is synonymous with former Australian 7s strength and conditioning coach Tom Carter who oversaw several of the current sevens group through their infancy of professional sevens training.  ‘Cromiting’ however was the ultimate preseason flex “crying, running and vomiting”. A vile combination that meant you were at your absolute wits end. You remembered exactly who cromitted and when!

I personally never got to the cromiting stage, and preseason running was something I prided myself on. But put a prowler in front of me or insist on repeating off the deck/contacts efforts and the tears came.

So, when the concept of Ultimate Sevens was first pitched to Maddi to come on board as an ambassador, she didn’t need much convincing. More footy, less preseason and a few weeks tour to Europe…Thank you very much! Ultimate Sevens launched its inaugural season in September 2026, defined as a ‘new era for rugby’, featuring as many of the world’s best sevens players as possible. It was a high-energy, fast-paced hit out, with players spread amongst six franchises, playing games over a multi-round championship. Instead of enduring 4 extra weeks of preseason, Ultimate Sevens became the ultimate crunning saviour for Faith and Maddi. A brand-new vision for the game of Sevens, the ability to reach new audiences and a different format of the game to trial. Scoring opportunities galore for the finishing flyers of the Aussie 7s with the chance to grow the sport they loved in new destinations. Sceptical in its infancy, Faith jumped on the bandwagon and is grateful for the perspective and experience the competition gave her.

By spending time with players from different countries all over the world, Faith and Maddi both gained a deeper level of gratitude for their own impressive Australia 7s program too. Discussions on professionalism of programs, training schedules, game tactics and different styles of play kick-started deep conversations – often in different languages around how they can all help each other to elevate the game of sevens.  They both highlighted the off-field connections as the biggest takeaway from the competition, and it didn’t take long to see that shine through on all the players’ social media, that a broader sisterhood was being formed between those players who were involved in Ultimate Sevens.

On field, Faith was impressed by the adaptability of some of the Fijian players in her Atlantic Novas side and enjoyed adjusting to their unpredictability and the support required in their style of play. Being coached by former opposition and New Zealand 7s legend Kelly Brazier, was also surreal for Faith, as it provided great insight into Kelly/ the Kiwi way of playing and training too. Maddi, whose Pacific Current team ran out as overall women’s champions, enjoyed the freedom of the competition and the ability to play alongside the best of the best from all around the world with way less pressure than she is accustomed to. Being coached differently also added to the learning experience as a player.

Ultimately, they both just loved the opportunity to play more footy. In years gone past where they had been continually flogged with the ‘crunning stick’, this preseason felt like a real shift towards match fitness, game time and having a mental refresh. As older, experienced players in the group it was about balancing the awareness of what their bodies need and prioritising what is truly beneficial. I was shaken when Faith said she is now the second oldest in the Aussie 7s group, as I can still recall the first tournament we played together, and I felt old then.

Rugby Australia’s director of women’s high-performance Tim Walsh stated Rugby Australia gave the players their complete blessing to sink their teeth into the Ultimate Sevens, hoping some of the tactile and personal learnings they were able to develop over there will pay dividends back to RA’s blessing.

And for a team vying for Olympic qualification in this upcoming 2026/2027 HSBC SVNS World Series and a podium finish at LA28, a completely different experience was exactly what Faith and Maddi were looking for. Instead of ticking off the calendar of crunning days as they worked towards Dubai in November year in year out, they were given a fresh new experience and a truly humbling perspective thanks to Ultimate Sevens. Although Faith jokes, she probably could have done without all the European bread she consumed.

Breadsticks aside, it really is a long time between high-quality international games for national teams. Ones that really put you under the pressure that these two sevens flyers thrive in. Now with a taste of international rugby in the offseason, Faith and Maddi are chomping at the bit to get back in the green and gold and play alongside their Aussie 7s teammates again on the world stage.

Fortunately, they don’t have long to wait, with a first-time festival launching this Friday night at Easts Rugby Club called Kick On 7s. They will play two quality matches against their greatest rivals in New Zealand before they take centre stage at Accord Stadium on Saturday 17^th October for a one-of-a-kind quadruple- header. Wallabies, Wallaroos and sevens all on show for a massive day of Rugby action, with Faith and Maddi determined to show the ultimate preseason trade-off was worth it.