Australian squad named for International Rugby Sevens Adelaide
Australian squad named for International Rugby Sevens Adelaide
March 30, 2009 - 4:47pm
Story by: ARU
Michael O’Connor has named the Australian squad for the International Rugby Sevens Adelaide, which kicks off at Adelaide Oval on April 3-5, 2009.
No changes have been made to the Australian side since the Hong Kong Sevens tournament last weekend but Dane Haylett-Petty of Western Australia will be sidelined for one game.
“Haylett-Petty got a suspension for a dangerous tackle in Hong Kong, so he will sit out our first pool match against England,” Michael O’Connor, the Australian Sevens coach said.
In their other pool matches in Adelaide, Australia will play Samoa and Portugal.
“We are in a tough pool, which I personally think is good,” O’Connor said.
“There are no easy games now on the IRB Sevens World Series. You think you might have an easy pool but you really don’t…we will treat every game like a final,” he added.
The Australian side departs Hong Kong this evening and will arrive in Adelaide tomorrow lunch time.
“We’ll go straight into training once we arrive in Adelaide. We have a few areas of our game that we need to refine and hopefully we’ll work on those over the next couple of days so that we give ourselves every chance this weekend,” O’Connor, a former Wallaby and dual international said.
Australia has retained its ninth place position on the IRB Sevens World Series ladder after Hong Kong and they are determined to perform well in Adelaide.
“The team is focused, especially since it is a home tournament and it is very important for us to do as well as we can,” O’Connor said.
In 2008, the Adelaide champions were South Africa, who comfortably defeated New Zealand in the Cup final. Australia finished second in their pool and was later defeated by Tonga 21-7 in the semi final of the Plate competition.
Fiji was the 2007 Adelaide Sevens champions and defeated Samoa 21-7 in the Cup final.
Australia won the Plate final defeating England 31-0.
For more information on the International Rugby Sevens Adelaide, please visit www.adelaidesevens.com.au .
The International Rugby Sevens Adelaide is the largest festival of Rugby in Australia during 2009, and the only Australian leg on the IRB Sevens World Series.
Australian Sevens Squad for Adelaide:
William Bishop
William Brock
Shaun Foley
Dane Haylett-Petty
Jonathan Jenkins
Richard Kingi
Benjamin McCalman
Luke Morahan
Damon Murphy
Brian Sefanaia
Domonic Shipperley
Henry Vanderglas
http://rugby.com.au/news/sevens/aust.../section/21893
Australia’s Sevens side told to toughen up
Australia’s novice rugby Sevens outfit has been told to get mentally tougher for the home tournament in Adelaide starting Friday.
The Australians enter the sixth round of the International Rugby Sevens World Series in ninth place - behind rugby minnows Kenya and the United States.
South Africa heads the standings with 84 points, followed by England (68) and Fiji (62).
Australia has just 14 points and coach Michael O’Connor says his inexperienced squad needs to develop greater mental toughness to make inroads in the remaining three rounds.
“The big area is the mental toughness and experience that you need to draw on to put sides away,” O’Connor said.
“Sevens can turn on a sixpence.
“You have got to get your re-starts right, you have got to get the refereeing decisions go your way sometimes, the bounce of the ball - it’s all a pretty frantic exercise over 14 minutes.”
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“It’s a young squad, only two players prior to November had played Sevens before, so the aim is to keep improving and try and win every game,” O’Connor said.
“All games are tough, there are 16 teams and you just can’t underestimate any side.
“Every game is pretty much a final for us, that’s the way we’re approaching it, and it will great to play a quality side like England first up to see where we are at.”
http://www.thewest.com.au/default.as...ntentID=133865
