- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Jarryd Hayne’s chances of making the final cut for Fiji’s Rugby Sevens side at the upcoming Rio 2016 Summer Olympics are in serious doubt after he had limited impact on debut for the team at the London Sevens.
Hayne played in three matches for Fiji on the first day at London but had only limited minutes in each and failed to make any real impact on the games, though the day did see Fiji make certain another World Rugby Sevens title.
A surprise loss to host nation England followed by wins over Wales and Australia put Fiji in place for a quarter-finals berth, ensuring that they can do no worse than first overall in the series standings, even if they bomb out of this tournament from here.
Hayne played just four-and-a-half minutes in Fiji’s loss to England with only one touch of the ball during that time. He had more of an impact in less time against Wales without starring, and played only briefly against Australia, giving away a penalty.
With the series title now beyond doubt, Hayne may be given some more gametime on Day 2 in London, with as many as three more matches to be played on Sunday night (AEST).
Fiji will come up against France in the quarter-finals in their next match, and would be expected to progress to a semi-final showdown against either New Zealand or the United States.
Coach Ben Ryan will no doubt be watching Hayne closely on Day 2, looking to assess whether or not his big-name recruit has what it takes to be ready for Rio.
“I’d be an idiot of a coach if having played five minutes in the World Series I can start to make assumptions on where he can go,” said Ryan after the first day in London.
“He’s a good footballer but we’ve got world class players, we’re the reigning world champions.
“It’s huge competition and sevens is our game in Fiji so to get into our side you’ve got to be absolutely blitzing it and from him that’s going to mean going from a yoyo test which they all do in NRL from a 16, where he is now, to a 22.
“When we go into the Olympic camp there’s no hiding place, we don’t pick by face we pick by form and he’ll have six or seven weeks to prove himself.
“If he gets into our side because of form in seven weeks time then he’s done remarkably well and if he doesn’t it just shows the quality we’ve got.”
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.