Seven superstars that have to go to the Olympic Rugby Sevens

With New Zealand slipping lately in the Sevens World Series, and South Africa on the rise, it’s interesting to consider how the sevens teams might change in 2016 and which players may make themselves available in an attempt to win an Olympic medal.

Of the SANZAR nations, Australia has the most improving to do and South Africa the least, but it is probably New Zealand who have the potential to improve the most with the addition of superstars to the 12-man squads.

Keeping the five best of the current squads who deserve their places, there could be seven places available in each team for some of the big names of the game.

Any of these players would need to be available only for sevens for most of the season as it’s been shown before that bringing in stars at short notice without the conditioning required simply does not work.

New Zealand’s seven best additions
1. Sonny Bill Williams
2. Julian Savea
3. Liam Messam
4. Beauden Barrett
5. Ben Smith
6. Nehe Milner-Skudder
7. Aaron Smith

Sonny Bill Williams has the size, tackle breaking and offloading ability which is likely to make him a huge asset as a forward in sevens. Barrett has the blinding pace and game-reading ability to be a brilliant playmaker. Ben Smith brings elusiveness and pace out wide, while Milner-Skudder has the sensational step required to break the line closer to the play.

Aaron Smith provides that necessary sneakiness and eye for an instant opportunity, but I doubt if the All Blacks will release him. Messam has the total commitment in close and the knowledge of the sevens game already, while Savea would simply be devastating in a way that only Jonah Lomu has been in sevens previously.

Australia has a bit more work to do to get into contention, but these players could help them do it.

Australia’s seven best additions
1. Michael Hooper
2. Liam Gill
3. Tevita Kuridrani
4. Quade Cooper
5. Jesse Mogg
6. Henry Speight
7. Kyle Godwin

Hooper’s pace and commitment would probably make him a sensational sevens player in a similar way to Gill. Cooper’s full bag of tricks would finally be allowed to be opened and he could be a game breaker.

There’s no substitute for blinding pace, and Mogg has that, as does Speight. Kuridrani would be a powerful linebreaker on par with Sonny Bill Williams while Godwin would bring the silky skills needed to offset the bigger boys.

South Africa’s current Blitzbokke squad is settled and quite powerful and probably needs the least tweaking but there are still seven players who would add a massive amount to the team.

South Africa’s seven best additions
1. Pierre Spies
2. Cornal Hendricks
3. Bjorn Basson
4. Bryan Habana
5. Willy le Roux
6. Sarel Pretorius
7. Cheslin Kolbe

Spies has shown that he can be unstoppable in open play with room to move. He could be a sensation as a forward in sevens. Habana and Hendricks have already shown their class in the shorter game, although Habana will be 33 in 2016, he should still have it.

Le Roux’s skills would shine. Pretorius is the perfect sevens playmaker, always looking for a gap and doing the brilliant sneaky stuff perfectly. Kolbe and Basson would provide the pace and trickery out wide.

I consider that adding these players to the current best sevens players in each squad would provide teams that would set the Olympics on fire and make the sevens tournament the most sought after ticket.

Can anyone think of better players for their teams?