Sevens to further bring the rugby codes together

Yes, and you can add all the league guys who went to union. Most of them were pretty crap. The few exceptions can be counted on one hand: Jason Robinson, Brad Thorn, Sonny Bill Williams.

Yes Jo, in modified rules. If the Union boys were able to play real union rules, like pushing in the scrum, and competing as the line-out, etc, they would annihilate the league boys. But the rugby boys are modified for safety reasons. Oh and i will mention the pathetic non-straght throwing of the league boys at lineout time, as well in the inability to lift or compete at the lineout, with out getting penalised for technical errors, but are allowed to get away with it as refs deliberately go lenient so as not to ruin the contest and spectacle. Oh and the rugby boys lack atheltism do they in rugby league, . Inga Tuigamala, Craig Inness,John Timu, John Shuster, Matt Ridge, Petro Civonecciva, Izzy Folau, Tony T-Rex Williams, as just a few examples who went over to rugby league and carved up. Oh I am sorry Jo I will add Ryan Cross, Crain Wing, Luke Ricketson, and Jarred Hargraves all rugby union boys, who went over to rugby league and carved up too. Shoulw we add Micheal O'connor, and Wally Lewis too Jo, rugby union, boys who went over to rugby league. Oh and throw in ricky stuart, and david furner, and josh dugan too while were at it.

The League stars will outshine Union stars like no tomorrow.. Seriously, the league stars will be put on a pedestal for the superior athletes that they are. Just like when RL and Union clubs verse each other in England, League wins most of the time.. Like that time when Bradford was invited to verse the Wasps and destroyed them 30+-nil... Schooled.

Rickety, as a very keen 7s watcher, I have to say that's a very good 7s team you've proposed. Would be pretty hard to beat. Lots of speed, skilful playmakers, athleticism, and workrate, and in folau and inglis you have two lineouts forwards. The only possible addition might be a big rangy and powerful back row forward with good skill, possibly someone like higginbotham.

they may be contracted but they can STILL play 7's rugby..the contract prevents them from playing for another rugby LEAGUE club, not a different code.. + the added exposure will benefit BOTH codes.

There are plenty of talented 7s players already playing and others who have moved to Super 15. For example Nick Cummins was in the Commonwealth Games team and there are plenty of others.

Many established 15's players who want to compete at sevens for Rio 2016 will have to dedicate themselves to playing the game for at least six months if they don't want to embarrass themselves playing against specialists plus drastically change their training regimes. A player like Pocock will have to get much leaner and aerobically fitter as his body shape is too top heavy for his height. He's not as well regarded for his running and ball handling skills in 15s compared to his ball pilfering and there is more space and less stoppages in sevens so the game wouldn't suit the way he currently plays. Liam Gill and Michael Hooper appeal more as players who could transition better to sevens than Pocock. The NZRU has stated that players who want to qualify for Rio will have to decide what they want to play in 2016, 15's or 7's they can't do both which is a very sensible, practical and respectful approach to both forms of the game. Mercenaries who think they can just switch from 15's to 7's in the space of a few months and excel are dreaming, the same goes for league players.

Your 'Australian' team includes players who are not IOC eligible to play for Australia. Citizenship by birth required to represent a nation at the Olympics, or parents nation of birth. Dispensation from the IOC to allow immigrants to represent their adopted nations is very rare now, and once allegiance has been decided there can be no change.

Australia could be lethal if they included league boys especially the Fijian ones they were brought up with sevens its in their gene. If you watch the NZ sevens team they always have Fijian players. This is my Aussie team: Prop - Tevita Kuidrani Hooker - David Pocock Prop - Hayne scrum half - Genia Flyhalf - Matt Giteau Rover - Uate Wing - Koroibete Sevens teams needs balance, pocock and kuidrani are union players who will excute the hard graft like contesting turn overs, chasing restarts kicks, winning ball in scrums, line outs etc with the support of genia, giteau in the set piece for example genia throws in at lineouts and scrums. Giteau is a good playmaker and can create, when you have uate and koroibete outside you then chances are you're gonna score tries from anywhere. This team can tackle, contest ball at breakdown, pocock speciality and have pace to burn.

Kuridrani, has already played some matches for the Australian sevens side, he's Fijian heritage so sevens is natural to him, and already has experienced 7's at the top level.

Sounds a bit more like my Saturday :D. The splitting of the field is definitely the way to go the big boppers were attacking and defending one in from the wing and even though they were big boys they were still pretty quick. Their key attributes were to break tackles and offload guys like Auelua and Vaea look mostly likely from the Aussie super sides to fill that type of role amongst our forwards. Guys like F-Sautia, Inman and Kuridrani are backs who might be able to fill that type of role.

Cheers Whites. Looks like HK are likely to be there in Rio then. Japan would be their biggest threat but on a 7s rankings basis HK should get through.

Hong Kong competes separately at the Olympics.

Fair enough, good points. Had some friends over there this week as well. By the sounds of it they had a few more beers than you. I think they may still be laying in the stadium.

Hoops would be sensational at 7s with his ball running. Just got back from the HK 7s and miracle of miracles didn't have a beer on Sunday and actually watched the games pretty closely. Pace is the big thing in 7s and although Schatz and Quirk are fast for forwards they are not fast for backs. Fiji notably did have some very big men in their side but never more than two of them on the park at any stage and often only one. Gee they were good when they switched on as a team - very deserved winners of the tourney.

I like Betham's attack but he can at times be too high in the tackle. He, like many other outside backs wants to make an efficient tackle, i.e. Bring the other player down but they stay on their feet in order to anticipate the offload or recycled ball. In 7s you need to commit to the tackle more. He may be able to do that, but so far he hasn't shown that side of his game.

Jeznez, they're piggies but they're fast, fit and strong piggies. I'm picturing the forwards dividing the field into 3rds (running perpendicular to the try lines). They don't work as a pod, but rather as individuals who clean out the ruck or run support, but staying in their 'third' of the field.. Just a thought. If you're not keen on three piggies playing in the front 3, I'd substitute one of them with Tapaui. A piggy outside the Reds who I think would be brilliant is Hooper.

Peter Betham would be a good sevens player too. Ioane and Tapuai and Folau too.

Almost on a moral note Fiji and NZ, simply deserve to be there. I know that's tokenism and they of course won't be granted automatic spots. But I almost instinctively want to allow them automatic qualifiers, kinda lifetime achievement award to sevens. For so long they were the only 2 countries that took sevens seriously, and lit up the HK sevens time and time again. Guys like Serevi and Jonah Lomu, lit up the Hong kong sevens so many times. Where sevens rugby is now, a great deal of thanks must be directed toward both Fiji and NZ. Men like Gordon Tietjens, head coach of NZ sevens side, a master coach of sevens.