If the Australian women’s sevens rugby team returns home from the Rio Olympics in August without having won the gold medal, it won’t be for the lack of preparation.
The recent 0-3 Wallabies series loss to England, coupled with a horrid Super Rugby run for Australian franchises – on and off the field – and another underwhelming performance at the U20 World Cup points to Australian rugby being off the pace in terms of organisation, professionalism, preparation, motivation and skills.
Make no mistake, none of this applies to the women’s sevens program.
Following a triumphant 2016 IRB World Series, Australia heads to Rio as warm favourites and, while there is no overconfidence within the team, there is comfort from the knowledge that all possible boxes have been ticked off.
Not only will the team enjoy an ideal final preparation at a private training location in Portobello, south of Rio, before joining other athletes at the village, recently re-appointed coach Tim Walsh explained exclusively to The Roar how, “short of replicating the Olympics, we’ve put the players through every possible scenario.”
Walsh reinforces that it is the ability of his side to adapt to all types of difficult situations that sets it apart. This encompasses everything from dealing with media hype and raised expectations, alarms going off at odd hours and the development of individual crisis management plans.
In chatting with the amiable Walsh in the wake of the announcement of his final Olympics squad, what emerges is a strong desire for the team to move on from the novelty/celebrity nature of most of their media coverage to date into a solely rugby focused arena, where discussion and analysis reflects the fully professional nature of their program.
Captain Sharni Williams, for example, might have created mainstream media interest for her previous occupation as a mechanic, and an angle around her skills potentially coming in handy if the team bus overheats on a clogged Rio motorway clearly exists, but the real story is her ability to come back from a serious knee injury and provide quality leadership to this group.
Walsh is equally effusive about the contribution of Shannon Parry, who stepped into the captaincy role in Williams’ absence. In fact, while he is as reluctant as any coach to single individuals out from the team, it is clear that he sees particular strength in his leadership spine.
IRB 2014 player of the year, Emilee Cherry, for example, stands out for her “composure and ability to pull off big plays at crucial moments,” and Charlotte Caslick for her “electricity” and “big defence.”
In a sense, Walsh is describing a team that does not rely on one or two stars. Every position has deep cover, and all styles of play are catered for.
Rather than follow the lead of other sides who have specific strengths and play to those, Australia has settled on a balanced, hybrid style which combines speed, power, ball retention and movement. There are clear structures in place but the hours of training have ensured that all eventualities are covered and that players have the football and decision-making skills to deliver in every circumstance.
Importantly, they are provided with the licence to make individual plays when the opportunity arises.
Cherry, a centre originating from Queensland touch rugby, explains to me how her role is primarily “a connector between the playmakers inside and speed on the outside,” but also “someone who the team looks to as a creator of play.” Oh, and why not throw in defensive organisation and game changing tackles while we’re at it?
If that sounds like a lot of responsibility, Cherry stresses that Walsh provides an environment for all of the team to have fun on the pitch, while putting all of their skills to the test.
New Zealand women’s coach Sean Horan recently suggested that nobody will remember who won the 2016 World Series but everyone will remember who wins the Olympic gold medal. Walsh chuckles at my suggestion that this sounds like something a coach whose team hasn’t won a tournament all year might say, although he does acknowledge Horan’s basic premise.
Whichever way you slice it, Rio is the big cheese.
Notably, the tournament is structured differently than regular World Series events; two matches per day instead of three, which potentially provides less reward for consistent performance across the tournament and highlights instead the one-off nature of the semi-finals and gold medal match.
With that in mind, Walsh is wary of all the Rio opposition and the influence that individual game-breakers like New Zealand’s Kayla McAllister and England’s Joanne Watmore might have.
In the final World Series event in France, Australia won an epic semi-final against New Zealand and, having just clinched the title, may have been caught slightly off their guard for the final, which Canada pounced upon, winning 29-19.
Throw in England, winner of the previous leg in Vancouver, and the unique pressure that any Olympics brings, and it’s clear that while being the favourite is one thing, winning is another entirely.
That’s where squad depth and Walsh’s ability to make interchange decisions at the right moment plays a huge part.
“In sevens, everything is magnified and individual player skills are shown up in great detail,” he explains. “My role as coach is to keep an eye out for players who may be fatiguing, and also to watch for changes in the opposition set-up, and from that, seek opportunities at the set piece.”
Like any final team announcement, there were tears and heartache last Thursday for players who will be left behind, but Cherry reinforces that the players live by a ‘total squad’ mantra, where all the players involved in the program have committed to sharing all ups and downs together, as a single unit, no matter who is on the pitch.
Since the announcement, the wider squad has continued to train as one, and the attitude and performance of those who missed the squad is only serving to boost the team’s chances in Rio.
These Olympic Games are an opportunity for rugby to showcase itself to a new global audience, admittedly within the context of a myriad of other events and the bedlam and excitement which is the host city itself.
Almost certainly, new audiences will be surprised and impressed with the level of athleticism, ball skills and intensity in both the men’s and women’s competitions.
In order to take full advantage, challenges will need to be overcome; even with the anticipated addition of a Sydney leg to the IRB world women’s program, six tournaments still feels too thin for a full-time competition. And the addition of a new domestic competition must be a priority to ensure that the gap in strength, conditioning and skills between the contracted professionals and other domestic players does not become a chasm.
That, however, is for the future. For now, Bill Pulver and the ARU are desperately hoping for one thing; that at least one of their sevens teams is able to not only highlight all that is positive about rugby to the wider Australian public, but to bring home a gold medal for good measure.
With all due respect to the men’s team, it is the meticulous hand of Tim Walsh and his hard-working, level-headed team of talented women that represents Australia’s best chance.
Note: the women’s rugby sevens competition will take place on days 1-3 of competition in Rio, with the men to follow on days 4-6. Australia’s final Olympic women’s squad is as follows:
Shannon Parry
Sharni Williams
Nicole Beck
Gemma Etheridge
Emma Tonegato
Evania Pelite
Charlotte Caslick
Chloe Dalton
Amy Turner
Alicia Quirk
Emilee Cherry
Ellia Green
It was a memorable night in more ways than one for the Queensland forward.
The youngster was playing his first Super Rugby Pacific debut off the bench, but his game wasn't the main talking point after the game.
Is this a sign that rugby laws are getting too tricky, even for the players and commentators?
The kick of around 50 metres got the Reds well downfield!
Wallaby Jordie Petaia is in doubt for the rest of the Super Rugby season, and potentially Australia's Test series against Wales, after suffering a…
The Reds centre had to leave the field to get the shoulder popped in, with fears he will need several weeks on the sideline…
