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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.
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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.
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.
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“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.
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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
- Sharni Smale
- Faith Nathan
- Dominique Du Toit
- Teagan Levi
- Madison Ashby
- Charlotte Caslick (c)
- Kaitlin Shave
- Bella Nasser
- Maddison Levi
- Heidi Dennis*
- Bienne Terita
- Alysia Lefau-Fakaosilea
- Sariah Paki
*Denotes potential debut
Australian Men’s Sevens team
- Henry Hutchison
- Ben Dowling
- Henry Palmer
- Dietrich Roache
- Tim Clements
- Josh Turner
- Matt Gonzalez
- Nick Malouf (c)
- Maurice Longbottom
- Nathan Lawson
- James Turner
- Darby Lancaster
- Hayden Sargeant
Comments on RugbyPass
Why is this dude getting so much coverage? Usually knobs like this get cancelled.
2 Go to commentsWow. What was that? A 3 million word meandering article about what exactly?
1 Go to commentsNice piece of writing. And yes the Sharks pulled a rabbit from the hat and were a little lucky with that penalty try that wasn’t given… however the Sharks (with their resources) should be way more consistent and should be putting teams like Claremont away for breakfast. I expect more from them and hope they kick on now.
8 Go to commentsJust what the Sharks needed to get things going in the right direction Defence on the outside really creates havoc for the whole team and needs to be addressed.
8 Go to commentsWell done guys both teams will be ready to play knockout rugby.
1 Go to commentsSurprised that Ramos isn't starting at 15. But what a squad of galacticos!
2 Go to commentsWhy is it a snub? What journalistic garbage is that? Sure the guy is a great player, but there are plenty of loose forwards and not all of them can be Springboks. Also, I know of no-one who doubts Rassie’s judgment. South Africa has a conveyor belt of loose forwards that just keeps producing, so the competition is intense. I certainly wish him well, but there is no entitlement and there is no snub.
17 Go to commentsSkelton may be brought back for the Wallabies so that would be the only reason that may hinder Wilson. Easily the form, most skilful and game IQ of any Oz 8. Valentini’s best and favourite position is 6, but lineouts may be an issue with Skelton, Valentini and Wilson. Will be interesting what Schmidt goes for but for me Wilson should be picked on form. Schmidt rewards work rate, skill and consistency. All that glitters every so often won’t be in contention. Greely is one of those players that has a knack of making the right decision. A coach is going to love him because he knows week in week out he’s going to get the job done. The second try Greely wasn’t the guy who made the initial break it was Flook, Greely was at the bottom of the ruck when Flook was off along the sideline. Greely got up and made the effort to catch up with play but also read the play nicely and hit the pass from Campbell at pace and then held the pass beautifully to Ryan.
6 Go to commentsSpot on Ben. Dead right. Havili looked great at 10. Easily the highest rugby IQ of any NZ player these days. Getting a kick charged down is a result of getting used to adjusting your depth to the line at 10, which he will sort out with time. But other than that it was an outstanding first effort in that position this year. I think the NZ media has misunderstood this directive from Razor. Havili might rank behind B Barrett this year, but Beuden is 33 this month and won't last much longer. DMaC is great but flaky and not really a test match animal (his efforts in Dunedin versus Aus last year for example). If Razor can't have Mounga, DMaC is too unstructured for Razor (and is just too small for test rugby). Havili will end up our first choice first five, and in partnership with Jodie will be excellent. Two triple threat operators in tandem, and big bodies and tough tacklers to boot. Jordoe will be the ABs goal kicker. I am an Aucklander and Blues (and Warriors) fan, but Havili at 10 is going to be sensational in time… he can be the best first five in the world by the end of this year. No question.
6 Go to commentsSharks deserved to be far further back by the last quarter. Their tackling was awful, their set pieces were disappointing, their defensive organization was poor (especially on the Kok side of the D line), they kept making unnecessary errors, and they never looked like cracking the Clermont defense during those first 60m. Masuku kept them in touch, with some help from the Clermont generosity on penalty opportunities. Agree with the writer of this article. It was belligerence, and ability to raise their pressure game just enough, that turned the last quarter into a Bok-style shutout. Clermont have a reputation of not playing the full 80m, and there was a bit of that for sure. But, quite often when the intensity of a team drops off in the last quarter credit is due to the opponent for tiring them out. At 60m, with the Kok try, you thought that just maybe the game was on. At 70m, with the Mapimpi contribution, one felt that Clermont were fading, while facing a team that would maintain the pressure game through the final whistle. Good win in the end, but the Sharks are still playing way below their potential. And with their resources, and a coach that has had enough time to figure things out, they are running out of excuses.
8 Go to commentsGood riddance
1 Go to commentswel the crusaders were beaten by a queensland reds side that hadnt beaten them at home since 1999 and queensland reds partied like it was 1999
6 Go to commentsHard to disagree with the 5 points - with the exception that Wilson should be a squad member but, depending on the other loose forward selections, is not yet a shoo-in. McReight is. Aussie is looking a lot better this year and JS has some selection options. Also, Havili’s tendency to get caught, charged down is also a liability at times but he seemed focused (mostly) and is definitely a consideration for utility back-up. Still feel Reihana is a better prospect at 1st five for Saders.
6 Go to commentsYeah nah, still not sure on Havili tbh. Even though I’m a Crusaders fan through and through I’d be stunned if Razor considers him after seeing some of the stunning talent coming through up North.
6 Go to commentsThink it was a great defensive performance by Northampton. They didn't have stage fright in the first half, the Nienaber defense smothered them. They limited Leinster to 15-3 in the first half. It could have been over by then. A great try from Leinster in the start of the second half looked to have sealed it. But Byrne missed another conversion. Northampton started trying little kicks behind the Leinster wingers. Leinster messed one and Smith brilliantly made the conversion. Leinster decided to tighten the game after Byrne missed a straight forward penalty. A few errors got NH into the 22 and they scored and converted with a few minutes left. Another brilliant steal from Lawes saw NH have a final attack which was turned over by Conan. A classic semi final. World record attendance of 82,300. Leinsters 3 week preparation warranted for this one.
1 Go to commentsJust came back from the game and the atmosphere was amazing. Players stayed afterwards for more than a hour to sign stuff and take photos with fans. Great day out.
8 Go to commentsA great game. The Sharks without Etsebeth are a shadow of the team compared to when he plays. The limitations of Some of the expensive Sharks players are being exposed. Credit to Clermont for some exhilaration play at times.
8 Go to comments100% Mr Owens. But who would want to be a referee.? It must be the most difficult job on earth.
1 Go to commentsStarts 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
8 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.
8 Go to comments