Nick Malouf raising the silverware with the Australian men’s sevens team in the grandstand at So Kon Po was not meant to happen.
In December 2021, Rugby Australia (RA) announced that men’s coach Tim Walsh and women’s coach John Manenti would swap roles.
With no context, this exchange would have seemed peculiar. RA however understood the assignment.
Weight was once more being thrown behind the women’s program, with Walsh deemed the man to take them in the right direction.
Manenti on the other hand was sent to take on a previously impossible task with the men, who had time and time again failed to establish themselves as consistent performers.
This was a demotion.
The men’s side had been thrown back into semi-professionalism after RA’s budget cuts. Full-time positions had been reduced to six, players were loaned out to Super franchises or let go, and the team then received the second-best coach at RA’s disposal.
It wasn’t a death sentence for the program, but it certainly was a move backwards. There is simply no way that RA intended the Aussie men to flourish under these new conditions.
No doubt it was important for the men to remain visible and occasionally competitive, but the new regime imposed upon them did not exactly lend itself to more preferable outcomes. It was a concession.
A seventh-place finish at the 2020 Olympics and financial constraints combined and made the men expendable.
(Photo By Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
In the ultimate irony, it was the masterstroke decision from RA that led to success for the men.
Who would have thought that drastically reducing their budget was in fact their key to success? RA knew that the men only needed six full-time contracts to succeed, any more would have been indulgent.
The men lifted the World Series trophy in 2022, after a third-place finish in Los Angeles snuck them to the top of the leader board for the first time in the history of the competition. A gold in London and five podium finishes in the eight-leg competition was about as much consistent success as one could have asked for.
Despite everything, Manenti and the side he coined the ‘Misfits’ had toppled the world’s best.
The side are truly misfits. Some have played professionally in Super Rugby, however very few and very little. Others are young and upcoming talent, pushed into sevens for professionalism and experience.
The vast majority however, if not for sevens, would be playing club rugby in either New South Wales or Queensland.
It has become apparent that sevens is in fact not directly comparable to 15s and vice versa. We have seen Super Rugby players and even Wallabies underwhelm in the World Series. Some of the current sevens squad are good, but not outstanding club players.
It doesn’t matter. It is a different sport. One may be indicative of the other, but it is not a direct correlation. The current stock needs to be good at sevens, and they are.
And it’s time to pay them.
It is time to reward the program, reward the coach and reward the players. If the 13 players collectively can be the best in the world on Sunday afternoon in Hong Kong, they should all be paid more than minimum wage.
The players have earnt the right to be respected in RA’s order of importance.
Financial impacts of COVID have started to disband and RA are not in the red like they once were. So open the books and get some money back into the men’s program.
Despite what may have been accounted for, they are the premier sevens program and should be treated as such.
Ankle-tapped Waterboy
Roar Rookie
This has been a great story which has gone under the radar. An aspect of it that shows the significance of the achievement is that it's been based on tournament play and winning the series. It does now in hindsight seem bizarre that there's been half of stuff-all in the media about this. Thank you Jed. True champions.
Busted Fullback
Roar Rookie
Gday Brett. Funny that RA aren’t sure about what to do with 7s while most grassroots clubs that I know of are using 7s as an introduction to the game and a system of inclusion for the physically and mentally challenged in our communities. Schools are also involving themselves in 7s, some as a speciality, others as an introduction to 15s. So, most of the rugby community know what to do with and how to use 7s but RA don’t. Tells us a story that most of us probably knew anyway.
Ray L
Roar Rookie
Didn't the Women's 7s win the World Series in 2021 when John Manenti was Head Coach? Tim Walsh, having previously been the women's coach with Manenti as his deputy, couldn't get the men firing in the same way. I understand that Manenti was well liked by the women players. He has also previously coached the Australian Women's 15s, but with little support from RA, so he was on a hiding to nothing. I must admit that it did seem odd that Manenti and Walsh swapped roles this year in view of the former's success with the women. Perhaps it wasn't a demotion for Manenti after all, but an acknowledgement that he was the one who could bring success for the men, which he has achieved, notwithstanding qualification by some. He does have a track record, which is rarely acknowledged, in identifying talented players. He coached Eastwood winning 3 premierships in the Shute Shield as well as appearing multiple times in the Finals and Grand Finals. Eastwood is the second most successful club in the Shute Shield this century after Sydney University, with Manenti playing a major role in more recent years. He is still the club's Coaching Director. It's time that RA recognised his coaching ability and devoted more resources to continue the development of the Men's 7s program and for Manenti's longer term coaching role at a higher level.
Brett McKay
Expert
Really, really good piece, Jed. Sevens remains the awkward cousin for RA - never really sure how to embrace it and bring it into the family fully, but the family connections just strong enough that permanent exile would seem harsh..
Muzzo
Roar Rookie
Yes congrats to the Australian Seven's in taking out there first World Series win in HK. Yeh they had won there before, 34 years ago, pre the World Series, coming into being. Also taking out the World Series for the first time was a great achievement, as we see most of these national teams coming back after CoviD, in which has affected HK in a big way, plus their other troubles. HK IMO, & having been there 5 times to this premier tournament is a magnificent city, that really gets behind this tournament, with their, away from the stadium venues, in which Wanchai plays a big part. Hopefully now, with the worst of the pandemic, not there we'll see an uplift in these World Series tournaments.
Hugh_96
Roar Pro
Terrific topic of discussion. While the players may deserve more $$ unfortunately RA doesn’t have the $$. Also the majority of the 7s funding comes from the Government based on Olympics success/ potential medal success, therefore it has gone to the women. The coach swap was very interesting, who knows the story behind it. Either way it has worked out for both programs. It does show that Manenti is able to build & develop a team, he brought in the majority of the women players & won the first 2 Dubai tournaments before heading over to the men’s program. And now has had success with the men.
PeterK
Roar Guru
On the money , who should be the priority? Womens XV's don't get paid at all. Womens sevens have a longer track record of success, will the mens continue this success , or as the many close wins IMO it is less likely. Covid and the counting of best results dropping some helped them. Also on the question of payback, which deserving team brings in the most money to RA, which team will help promote the greatest growth in participation, attendance, viewership and sponsorship?
Short Arm
Roar Rookie
Hear, hear, Jed. So happy for these guys. The Aussie battlers win through. It was such a slap in the face of Manenti to be moved on from his girls team, so glad he showed them. It was also a slap in the face for the players when Kerevi & Marky Mark were parachuted into the Commonwealth games team & they were duds. It disrupted the team & they performed badly. Hopefully this is the last time this is allowed to happen.
Phil
Roar Rookie
Good read. So much to admire about what they’ve achieved.