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Western Australia's Own Dane Haylett-Petty and Will Brock Bound for Hong Kong Sevens
The Australian squad has been named for the Hong Kong Sevens tournament, with Emirates Western Force back Dane Haylett-Petty joining fellow West Australian Will Brock for the three day extravaganza at Hong Kong Stadium on March 27 – 29, 2009.
Michael O’Connor, the Australian Sevens coach, has made some slight changes to his side which featured in the Plate Final at the Rugby World Cup Sevens earlier this month in Dubai.
Omissions to the Australian Sevens squad are as follows:- Ed Jenkins is out of the squad after damaging a knee playing for NSW A.
- Ben Coridas is out with a shoulder injury sustained at the Rugby World Cup Sevens
- Afusipa Tauoepeau has been sidelined with an ankle injury sustained during training prior to the team’s departure for Hong Kong
New faces to the Australian Sevens squad include:- Dane Haylett-Petty wins a recall after playing in the first tournament of the year in Dubai last November.
- Ben McCalman has been sidelined most of the year with an ankle injury but has been brought in after two games back playing for NSW A.
- Domonic Shipperley is the third change to the Rugby World Cup Sevens side.
Shipperley, an outside back from Queensland who turned 18 two months ago, was invited along with a few other up and comers to attend the Australian Sevens training camp last week.
In 2008, this rising star was integral member of the 2008 Australian Schoolboys side. Shipperley scored four tries – one in the Test win over Fiji 18’s in Brisbane and another three on the five-match tour to Tonga and New Zealand.
This tour was memorable for the Australian Schoolboys because they defeated New Zealand Schools on Kiwi soil for the first time.
“Shipperley is only young and Hong Kong will be great experience for him,” O’Connor said. “He’s a player who has showed a lot of promise through his Schoolboys football, so we’re keen to have a look at him, and because of injury it has happened sooner rather than later.”
Australia is placed in Pool C for Hong Kong alongside New Zealand, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. O’Connor’s men will first play Zimbabwe on Friday night (March 27) at 8:16pm local time and 11:16pm Sydney time.
“There is no easy draw, you got to beat these teams if you’re going to win it, we’re looking forward to it,” said O’Connor, a former Wallaby and dual international.
Australia is currently ranked equal ninth on the IRB Sevens World Series with Wales, the newly crowned 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens champions.
England and South Africa are the current World Series leaders; they are tied on 60 points at the top of the ladder.
Australian Sevens Squad for Hong Kong:- 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
