The Australian Men’s Sevens squad for the inaugural PacificAus Sport Oceania 7s Championship has been confirmed, with the team being headlined by World Cup Wallaby Samu Kerevi.
Following the completion of the Harvey Norman Super Rugby Season, Head Coach Tim Walsh has welcomed the return of Lewis Holland, Lachlan Anderson and Tim Anstee for the side’s final tournament ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.
The side will again be bolstered by Joe Pincus who returns from injury, while Nick Malouf will captain the side. Boasting 244 caps of World Series experience, three of the squad members were also part of the 2016 Olympic campaign.
The remaining squad members will form part of an Oceania 7s side, which will be made up of current Australian squad members and other Australian long-list players.
Australia will kick off its campaign, taking on reigning Olympic Gold medallists Fiji before facing New Zealand in the evening session. Every match set to be broadcast ad-free, live and on-demand on Stan Sport.
Australian Men’s Head Coach, Tim Walsh, said: “The attitude we took through covid has delivered a highly competitive squad in which to select from. Players who wouldn’t have dreamt of being considered for selection are now in the mix and representing the program at an elite level.
“The addition of Samu is a welcome achievement for the program and underpins one of the program’s objectives – Retain, Recruit and Develop the best Australian rugby players. “We are grateful for the cooperation by Suntory in making Samu an option for selection
“Our objective is to return home from Tokyo and into quarantine with a “No Regret” performance. This will only be achieved with meticulous planning and preparation as a team and as individuals.
“Townsville is a part of final preparations and will offer us an opportunity to play against some pretty decent opposition including the Oceania Barbarians team,” Walsh said.
Australian Sevens Squad for Townsville:
- Pama Fou
- Nick Malouf (c)
- Joe Pincus
- Henry Hutchison
- Lewis Holland
- Lachlan Anderson
- Josh Coward
- Samu Kerevi
- Dietrich Roache
- Dylan Pietsch
- Josh Turner
- Lachlan Miller
- Tim Anstee
All matches will be played at Townsville’s Queensland Country Bank Stadium from June 25-27, with the afternoon session on Friday and Saturday starting at 2.00pm, followed by the evening session at 7.30pm, replicating the Olympic format.
