The second instalment of the University Sevens Series is set to kick off this weekend with two extra teams, added international flavour, and underpinned by a grand plan to make the competition a nursery for female rugby talent on the cusp of making it as a professional.
This year’s series will be contested over five weekends across the next two months in Hobart, Canberra, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Adelaide.
Collegiate competition: University of Canberra sevens players Sammie Wood and Darcy Read.
There are two new teams – the University of Sydney and the University of Melbourne – who will be attempting to knock the University of Queensland (UQ) off their perch as the reigning champions.
“We definitely feel pressure but I reckon we can handle the pressure,” said UQ’s Dutch star Jannicke Ijdens. “I reckon it’s going to be better than last year and it’s going to be tough for us.”
Few people knew what to expect last year when the series kicked off. More than 20 universities lodged bids to become one of the eight initial teams. When the call went out that a two-team expansion was on the cards this year, only five put their hat in the ring.
“The ones who tendered for these positions knew what they were getting themselves in for,” said Rugby Australia’s head of performance, Ben Whitaker.
RA’s strategy is to nationalise the tournament next year, with a team from Western Australia set to come into the mix.
“Outside of the Northern Territory, we get a truly national competition,” Whitaker said. “Whether that means we expand from 10 or need to, that will be dependent on teams' experience over the last two years and whether they can continue.
“Victoria was an area we felt we could definitely house a team and we always felt we had the scale to have another team in Sydney with only Macquarie [University] last year.”
Australian women's sevens coach, John Manenti, said: “The Aon University Sevens Series was a fantastic competition in 2017 and I know it is going to be bigger and better this season."
Looking into the crystal ball, Whitaker believes 10 to 12 teams is the optimum number, with four to six weekends of action.
Strengthening the relationship between schools and universities is also a priority in order to unearth female talent before they finish their Higher School Certificate.
"There’s opportunity to really make use of what universities have to offer so we’ve got all our players coming through high-level tertiary education and professional or elite sevens involvement," Whitaker said. "We don’t think it’s going to be like the US collegiate system but there’s elements of that that are going to come into play in the next five years."
As for a leg in Sydney, Whitaker said that was very much a possibility in the coming years.
The University of Sydney has produced some outstanding rugby teams over the years and there are high hopes the competition’s newcomers can start off on a positive note.
Olivia White plays for the University of Sydney and took up rugby after watching her boyfriend, Jake Douglas, play for Southern Districts in the Shute Shield.
“I sat there [watching him] and thought: 'I can do this'," White said. "It suits my skills, so I thought why not give it a crack? I’ve never looked back, I’ve loved it. Sevens is the sport for me.
“It’s hard to have an expectation for us to take out the win straight away but we’re going to improve and we’ll be the underdogs.”
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