Kaitlin Shave re-signs 15 months on from devastating Olympics injury

Australia Sevens have announced another key re-signing ahead of next month’s HSBC SVNS Series season opener in Dubai, with track sprinter turned rugby star Kaitlin Shave putting pen to paper on a fresh deal for 2025/26.

Shave debuted for the Australia Women’s Sevens side in Dubai about two years ago, before going on to finish the season as a SVNS Series Rookie of the Year nominee and with a champion’s medal draped around her neck in Madrid.

When Australia’s squad for the Paris Olympics was named soon after at Restaurant Hubert in Sydney’s CBD, it was no surprise that Shave was selected, but the Queenslander’s Games were cut short after suffering a devastating injury.

In Australia’s opening match, Shave sustained a knee injury that brought her Olympics to an early end. Shave would later tell RugbyPass and Rugby.com.au in October 2024 that “all of it is quite a bit of a blur still” when reflecting on the Games.

After missing the entire 2024/25 season, Shave will be back on the circuit at some stage during the upcoming campaign. Australia Sevens announced on August 27 that Shave was “back on ground” training after a long stint on the sidelines.

With some big-name players like Shave set to return from injury, the Aussie women are hungry to go one better on the SVNS Series this season, after falling to arch-rivals New Zealand at the World Championships last time around.

“We’re so excited for the season to come,” Rugby Australia’s Junior Women’s Player of the Year Mackenzie Davis told RugbyPass and Rugby.com.au at the 2025 Rugby Australia Awards.

 

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“We’ve got amazing girls coming back from injury so the depth of our group is incredible this season.

“We’re just pushing each other this long pre-season and just getting ready for the season ahead.”

Australia Sevens revealed earlier this month that Davis had re-committed to the program, following a breakout campaign. Davis isn’t the only rising star who’s inked a new deal for 2026, with Amahli Hala and Piper Simons also returning after their rookie seasons.

Paris Olympians Tia Hinds and Kahli Henwood are coming back for another season on the sevens circuit, as Australia Sevens confirmed this week. Hinds returns after representing the Wallaroos at the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup in England.

“The standard of our playing group is incredible. We have Olympians amongst our group but they put so much time and effort into making sure that we’re all ready,” Davis explained.

“Our coaching staff and our playing group just give so much confidence in one another and we support each other. I think it’s easy just to go out there and back yourself when you’re supported by such an incredible group of women.”

Dubai is the first stop of the new-look season, the circuit then heads to Cape Town before the New Year. Singapore, Australia, Vancouver and the USA are other regular season destinations, before the three-leg World Championships.

The overall SVNS Series champions will be crowned after stops in Hong Kong China, Valladolid and Bordeaux. Australia won the first-ever winner-takes-all World Championship in 2024 before losing to New Zealand in the second edition earlier this year in Los Angeles.