Australia’s men’s rugby sevens team will have to get through England and Samoa to have any chance of a medal at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
The draw for the rugby sevens tournament was conducted at Cbus Super Stadium on Thursday morning, with Australia thrown in a tough Pool B with England, Samoa and Jamaica.
The hosts have at least avoided a nightmare first-up meeting with New Zealand, Fiji or South Africa but were always going to be handed a difficult assignment given their fifth seeding.
Only the teams who finish top of the four pools will advance to the semi-finals and play off for medals.
Retired former skipper Ed Jenkins said Pool B was the “best outcome” for Australia – until Samoa were drawn from band three.
“That’s a dark horse you don’t want to be coming up against,” he said.
However, current Australian captain Lewis Holland said they have every reason to be confident in light of their scintillating showing at the Sydney Sevens last weekend – their first World Series title since 2012.
“Off the back of last week, we’re red hot at the moment,” said Holland, who is not with the rest of the team in New Zealand for this weekend’s World Series leg because of injury.
“This is our next big key-ticket item.
“(Once we) come back from New Zealand, there’ll be a lot of preparation and everything will be going forward to the Games from there on in.”
Australia’s women, who didn’t concede a single point in their stunning triumph in Sydney, at least have been granted an easier path to the semi-finals.
The reigning Olympic champions are in Pool B with Fiji, England and Wales.
“It was definitely nice to miss Canada in those early pool stages,” Charlotte Caslick said.
“But Fiji are obviously always tough, they always make us run around like chickens with their heads cut off.
“The English girls are the team this season that keep getting better and better each time I watch them – and the Welsh, we don’t really know what to expect because we don’t see a whole lot of them on the World Series.”
Gold Coast is the first time women’s sevens will have been played at a Commonwealth Games.
MEN’S RUGBY SEVENS DRAW
POOL A: South Africa, Scotland, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia
POOL B: England, Australia, Samoa, Jamaica
POOL C: New Zealand, Canada, Kenya, Zambia
POOL D: Fiji, Wales, Uganda, Sri Lanka
WOMEN’S RUGBY SEVENS DRAW
POOL A: New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Kenya
POOL B: Australia, Fiji, England, Wales
Muzzo
Guest
Interesting Vince, as you stated, that Australian men, after winning the Sydney tournament last weekend, was their first World Series title since 2012? This years World Series isn't completed as yet, as it winds up in Paris later on in the year. I think what you meant. was it was the mens first tournament win, since 2012, but I actually thought they had won a tournament, In London, I think it was, just a couple of years or so ago. In fact, the Australian men, have never ever, won a World Series title.
Muzzo
Guest
Bit of a pity that the Commonwealth games, interrupts, the World Series schedule, as usually, it was great to go to HK, then onto Singapore the week after. Then again the Commonwealth Games tournament, is not run by World Rugby.
Celtic334
Guest
Would love to see Cam Clark or Henry Hutchinson rejoin this team going forward if they can't break into the Tahs and Rebels teams respectively. We'd have a very very good chance of getting a medal come olympics
Cuw
Guest
Caleb Clarke - son of Eroni , in the NZ 7S team. he is like 18 years old still :)
jeznez
Roar Guru
I think they have their overall squad - it is just a matter of who makes the 12 for each tournament.
Cuw
Guest
interesting Las Vegas 2–4 March 2018 Vancouver 10–11 March 2018 Hong Kong 6–8 April 2018 CG Gold Coast 13-15 APril Singapore 28–29 April 2018 perhaps they may draft in other players outside the 7S team ?
jeznez
Roar Guru
They said from the start of the year they were targetting Sydney and the Comm Games (can assume they'll look to peak again for the WC as well). Suspect that anyone with a bit of a niggle will sit out NZ to go for the medal they are keen to challenge for.
Cuw
Guest
" Australian Sevens rugby captain Lewis Holland, Boyd Killingworth and Jesse Parahi will miss the upcoming weekend's Series in Hamilton. Holland sustained a thigh injury during the team’s victorious campaign at the Sydney Sevens. Meanwhile, forward Killingworth misses with a hamstring injury while coach Andy Friend has opted to rest breakdown specialist Parahi after a heavy workload. "