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Michael Hooper headlines formidable Australia men’s sevens select squad
With the new-look SVNS season waiting on the horizon, the Australian men’s team has unveiled a formidable squad to a formidable lineup to take on the rugby sevens world in 2023/24.
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SVNS veteran Nick Malouf will lead the squad once again this season, but the inclusion of former Wallabies captain Michael Hooper from earlier January is undoubtedly the big talking point.
Hooper, who won the John Eales Medal four times during an illustrious 15s career, had his Wallabies career cut agonisingly short when coach Eddie Jones overlooked the flanker for the World Cup squad.
But an opportunity to start anew beckoned. With the Olympic Games in Paris just around the corner, Hooper will join a 16-man Australian squad on the 2023/24 SVNS circuit.
Malouf has been named to lead the side after an injury-riddled 2022/23 campaign, while Henry Hutchison is set to return after a long stint on the sidelines due to a devastating ACL injury.
Ben Dowling returns to sevens after a season with the NSW Waratahs, while the trio of Hadley Tonga, Hayden Sargeant and Michael Icely are young players to keep an eye out for this season.
“I am thrilled with the group we have,” head coach John Manenti said in a statement. “We are starting to build some real consistency with the core of the group, while adding quality through some new faces.“I am over the moon to be able to welcome back Henry Hutchison into the playing squad – an ACL injury always tests a player’s resolve to come back, and ‘Hutch’ has worked his tail off to get back.“Hadley is one of the most exciting young players in Rugby – he is super-fast and extremely elusive. He’s only young, but I think he can make a real impact this year.“It’s great to have Ben [Dowling] back too. He showed plenty of quality when he was with us a couple of years ago, and it looks like his time with the Waratahs has only helped make him a more complete player.“Throw in the experience and skill of Malouf, Paterson, Roache, Paterson, Josh and James Turner, ‘Moz’ Longbottom, Lawson, Clements, Bird and Gonzalez, and we’re starting to see some continuity from year-to-year – which can only be a good thing.”
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The opportunity to don your country’s colours is perhaps the greatest honour that any rugby player can achieve in rugby.
But doing it on the world’s biggest sporting stage is an honour that a significant minority of athletes get to experience. To be an Olympian is dream-like for many.
With the Olympic Games set to unite the sporting world in Paris next year, rising star Dally Bird is looking to do everything he can to make sure he’s part of that squad.
“I’ve come in a pretty good time. I was kind in and around the squad a couple of years ago but coming in full-time last year (and) just having this goal of the Olympics – that’s what we’re always working towards. It’s always on a four-year cycle, working hard to get to the Olympics,” Bird told RugbyPass.
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“Blokes like (Henry) Patto, (Dietrich) Roachey, they’ve been in here five, six years and all they’ve got eyes for the gold medal at the Olympics so it brings that bit of hunger to the group.
“We know how many good players are in sevens and Australian rugby so we’ve got to earn our spot in the team.
“The end goal, the big goal is to make the Olympic team and have a positive impact over there in Paris.
“But for each tournament, I just go into the tournament knowing what my role is… I think Jonny and Chuck have got to the stage where they can trust me at the end of the game to make a tackle, make a turnover and make a pass.
“If I’m making one tackle, one turnover and one pass a game, that’s what I need to do and I’m happy.”
The 2023/24 SVNS season gets underway on December 2-3 in Dubai. One week later, the world’s best sevens players will take their talents to Cap Town.
Michal Hooper, who is unavailable for those two events, is expected to debut at the Perth SVNS which gets underway on Australia Day (January 26).
Australians can watch every round of the HSBC SVNS series exclusive, ad-free, live and on-demand on Stan Sport.
AUSTRALIA MEN’S SEVENS SQUAD – 2023/24 SEASONBen DowlingDally BirdDietrich RoacheHadley TongaHayden SargeantHenry HutchisonHenry PatersonJames TurnerJosh TurnerMatt GonzalezMaurice LongbottomMichael HooperMichael IcelyNathan LawsonNick Malouf ©Tim Clements
Comments on RugbyPass
Starts to be overdone and oversold this systematic SA narrative…which nevertheless has the merit in this case to recognise blatant refereeing mistakes in their favor
2 Go to commentsNice article. Shades of Steinbeck. They can win the final if they take the game seriously; but only if they take it seriously.
2 Go to commentsWhat a sad way to end a glittering career. Somebody should tell him to delete his social media accounts and face the consequences of what he's done. Then he should slip away quietly into obscurity. This isn't likely to happen, something tells me he'll be back in The Sun / Daily Mail sooner rather than later.
3 Go to commentsguys its fine! he understands why he did what he did and has taken accountability for it; why should he have to be accountable to a court? after all he did was abuse people in person - its not as if he was engaging in _online_ abuse!
3 Go to commentsChiefs flanker Kaylum Boshier yellow-carded for collapsing the scrum as it rolled towards the line. It was a maul….
1 Go to commentsyou know, i’m a leinster fan so I want Northampton to lose and it is gonna be tuff with Cortney lawes, Alex michell and the other guys🏉 lets go leinster🏉
1 Go to commentsWelcome to the Pro ranks. Those hard teams of old do hit the sole better though. its a dog fight at the top.
6 Go to commentsCan someone fill me in please, I've read a number of Ben Smith articles now and it seems he's got something again South Africa? Surely, this game was over and done with 7 months ago. Can't we have something a bit more interesting and relevant, or is this the calibre of journalist on this site?
228 Go to commentsNot sure what the Welsh are moaning about. They’ve had far more players off England, than England have had off Wales. Guys like Josh Hathaway and Kane James will play for Wales in the end. And they’ll be fsr better players for having played in the Gallagher Premiership, than they ever would have been had they stayed mired in the shambles that is Welsh rugby.
3 Go to commentsThis is all being blown totally out of proportion. First of all, since half the Irish team isn’t Irish - it’s very likely that none of the Irish players said that at all and, thus, we’re not being arrogant. Second, since half the Irish team is Kiwi - it’s very likely the Kiwi players were predicting a NZ SA World Cup final. Which they got spot on. Good on them!
163 Go to commentsAha. An Irishman with logic! Follow the flow: - Ireland peaks with a >80% win record between 2020 and 2023. And then… - crashes out of another QF at the WC; - Beat a poor French Team; - Beat 6N wooden spoonists Italy; - Play shite against eventual wooden spoonists Wales; - Lose against the most boring, “the worst English team ever” , a team widely regarded as unable to attack; - scrape through against Scotland. This article, No - Trimble, is on the money! Except for one glaring statement: _The Springboks have a few aces in the hole in this debate being the reigning world champions and official world number ones_ There is no debate, boys and girls. There it is. In black and white. “Reigning World Champions and OFFICIAL world number ones”. Come July, the overrated Andy Farrell and this overhyped team are going to enter into a world of hurt.
87 Go to commentsI’d like to know what homoerotic events Daniel enjoyed at 8th man. I clearly missed out!
19 Go to commentsThis article is missing some detail, like some actual context or info about what led to him abusing the ref.
2 Go to comments*They used to say that football is a gentleman sport watched by hooligans and rugby is a hooligan sport watched by gentlemen. How times have changed.*
3 Go to commentsexcept ot wasnt late wasnt late at all so dont know why you all saying its late he commits early and its your fault fir not paying attention
30 Go to commentsNot sure the Bulls need another average utility back in their ranks. Chamberlain has been ok for the Sharks but is by no means an X-Factor player. Bulls bought several utility backs which they barely use. A typical example would be Henry Immelman who plays mostly Fullback. The Bulls however have rarely played him this year and he has played wing or centre. Bulls want to build depth but seems like they have too many surplus players
1 Go to commentsABs lost against a side playing without a hooker - The guy playing, had one shoulder. Line outs were a gimme for the ABs, and the last 8 minutes 14 played 14 against a team that had been smashed 3 weeks in a row… Yet with all that possession, with all that territory, with all the advantages they actually had, especially in the last 8 minutes, they couldn’t buy a point. Those last 8 minutes determined if they outplayed the Boks or not. History will show that the Boks completely outplayed the ABs, especially in those last 8 minutes, the business end of any rugby match
228 Go to commentsWould’ve, could’ve, should’ve, didn’t.
228 Go to commentsKok will become a fan favourite
1 Go to commentsI am really looking forward to Leigh Halfpenny playing his first Super rugby game for the Crusaders Playing a long side his former Welsh and Scarlets team mate Johnny McNicoll.Johnny has been playing great, back in a Crusaders jersey.The attack has strengthened big time. Also looking forward to David Havili at 10. David is a class act, it also allows Dallas McLeod to remain at 12. A good thing.
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