Perth SVNS: Aussie sevens ‘welcome’ pressure to win at home

It didn’t take Argentina long to take firm control of the Cape Town SVNS final last month. With Marcos Moneta leading the way, they ran away with a big win over underdogs Australia.

Other than a disastrous 30-point defeat to arch-rivals New Zealand during pool play, Australia had shown that weekend that they were a genuine contender on the new-look SVNS Series.

But coach John Manenti had told RugbyPass that the team were “running on empty” after wins over South Africa and Fiji on day two, which unfortunately proved to be the case.

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That 45-12 defeat in the Cup final is locked away in history now, though, with an opportunity to bounce back in front of their home fans waiting for them in Perth.

Henry Hutchison has been named to return for the Aussie sevens side after a 12-month stint on the sideline with an ACL injury. It’s a major boost for the Aussies.

With ‘Hutch’ visibly thrilled to be back as he spoke with reporters at Rugby Australia on Thursday morning, the two-time Olympian isn’t shying away from the challenge of playing at home.

“We want to win at home. Winning at home is really important – we go to every tournament to win,” Hutchison said.

“The pressure’s probably a little bit more than a Cape Town or a Singapore but won’t be as much as Paris so it’s a good little precursor… we expect it more come July.

“That’s part of footy. If you can’t handle the heat, get out of the kitchen. We welcome it and hopefully, we can perform.”

Playing at the Sydney Sevens one year ago, Hutchison – who was the team’s captain that weekend – picked up the first major injury of his storied sevens career.

Hutchison injured his right knee and left ACL, and the sevens maestro later revealed that he’d sprained his wrist and broken several ribs one week before Sydney at the Hamilton Sevens.

12 months later, there have been some noticeable changes to the Aussie sevens team. Most obvious is the inclusion of Michael Hooper who was seen walking around at RA HQ after the press conference with Hutchison.

But as Hutchison reflected, the entire SVNS Series has simply gotten “better.” 12 months is a long time.

“Every year the team gets better, the circuit gets better. I’ve definitely noticed that the training right now, the intensity is higher than what it was when I did my knee,” he added.

“Players have been around longer now, more mature, there’s a strong spine and the standards are higher.

“I’ve come back into a stronger team, I think they did fantastically in Cape Town and especially to bounce back from Dubai, obviously we were really disappointed in Dubai, but our ability to just park it and just regroup… it was really pleasing.”

Tickets are on sale for the Perth SVNS from January 26 to 28 at HBF Park and can be bought HERE.

Australian Women’s Sevens team for Perth SVNS

2. Sharni Smale
3. Faith Nathan
4. Dominique Du Toit
5. Teagan Levi
6. Madison Ashby
7. Charlotte Caslick (c)
8. Kaitlin Shave
9. Bella Nasser
10. Maddison Levi
11. Heidi Dennis*
12. Bienne Terita
13. Alysia Lefau-Fakaosilea
14. Sariah Paki

*Denotes potential debut

Australian Men’s Sevens team

1. Henry Hutchison
2. Ben Dowling
3. Henry Palmer
4. Dietrich Roache
5. Tim Clements
6. Josh Turner
7. Matt Gonzalez
8. Nick Malouf (c)
9. Maurice Longbottom
10. Nathan Lawson
11. James Turner
12. Darby Lancaster
13. Hayden Sargeant