Sevens auditions for next Wallabies

Article from: Adelaide Now.


TOM ZED

December 15, 2008 12:30am


RUGBY fans might not get a glimpse of the next James O'Connor at the Adelaide Sevens in April but Australian coach Michael O'Connor is sure he is weaning new Wallabies.

The former ARU talent identification coordinator and Wallabies selector, himself a dual rugby league and rugby union international, believes future Wallabies will increasingly be discovered through the Sevens format.

Western Force prodigy James O'Connor made his debut for the Wallabies in November, just seven months after delighting Adelaide fans with his skills in this year's Sevens tournament.

While coach O'Connor believes the young talent who shares his name is an exceptional case, he is also sure the next batch of Wallabies are finding their feet in his Sevens side.

"From the talent identification point of view it (Sevens) is invaluable," he said. "It's very much an opportunity for young players to see if they can step up to international competition."

National Sevens coach O'Connor has the support of Wallabies coach Robbie Deans, who along with Super 14 coaches will receive regular reports from O'Connor on his teams' progress.

"I spoke to him (Deans) before I took the job and he was very supportive," O'Connor said.

"If there's a player who can make the step up then I'll be offering him that advice."
The Sevens format has the potential to revolutionise rugby in the same way that, first the World Series, and more recently the Twenty20 format have done for cricket.

It's fast-flowing style and the party atmosphere of the IRB World Sevens Series attract new fans and the skills and athleticism developed by Sevens players are becoming increasingly transferable to Super 14 and 15-a-side rugby.

"I've seen what it can do in places like Dubai, where we were playing in front of 30,000, 40,000 or 50,000 people," O'Connor said.

"It's the entertainment, sure, but it's the whole atmosphere. It's a great time out, it's all over pretty quickly and you get a lot of grandstand finishes.

"Playing on Friday night in Adelaide, with people coming down after work, is going to be very exciting.

"People who haven't been brought up on rugby often don't understand the stop-start nature of the game but there's none of that in Sevens."

Fitness is one aspect O'Connor believes is now more in demand in 15-a-side rugby and also one his side can improve on.

"We finish our club fixtures a lot earlier than other countries," he said.

"South Africa, for example, have their Sevens team together for nine months of the year, training and playing tournaments.

"Fitness is something we're working very hard on and we will improve.

"We've got a new side - basically 11 players who had never played in international Sevens before so it's a very inexperienced side.

"We're just concentrating on how we want to play - everyone playing on the same page - and it will come with a little bit of experience."

Australia will be looking to improve on its performances in Dubai and South Africa when it contests the third IRB Sevens World Series event in New Zealand from February 6-7.