Aussies to warm up in Kiama
Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:01
The Aussie Spirit will take on the best of Australia's club sides when the Kiama Sevens tournament kicks off on the New South Wales south coast on Saturday.
The Australian Rugby Sevens team, who play as the Aussie Spirit during non-IRB events, will be keen to impress coach Michael O'Connor at the Kiama Showground, in what will be their last hit-out before the Adelaide Sevens in March.
Patrick McCutcheon will lead the Aussie Spirit against teams from Sydney First Division, Sydney Subdistricts, NSW Country, ACT Rugby Union, Victorian and Queensland sides, who will all be competing for a total AU$13,000 in prize money.
The annual Kiama Sevens event is celebrating its 38th year and will attract over 600 players in 48 teams.
Randwick, Sydney University, Lloyd McDermott and Kiama are just some of the tough opposition that Aussie Spirit will encounter.
Aussie Spirit will open their campaign against North Sydney B in their first round match followed by Tuggeranong Vikings B.
Ten players who have represented Australia throughout the IRB Sevens tournament in Dubai, South Africa, Wellington and Las Vegas have been included in the Aussie Spirit team for the weekend.
Former Australian Schoolboys representative Mitchell Felsman has joined the side along with Benjamin Johnston, who has stepped into replace injured wing Kimami Sitauti (hamstring).
The youthful Australian Sevens team achieved their best IRB result in two years in Las Vegas in earlier this month when they defeated Fiji to set up a Cup semifinal showdown with Samoa, who went on to win the event.
The IRB Sevens World Series tournament lands in Adelaide from March 19 to 21, where the world's best Sevens teams will compete over three days of intense competition at Adelaide Oval.
Historically Australia achieve their best results on home soil and if they can replicate or better their last performance in Las Vegas, McCutcheon's young side could leapfrog England into fourth place on the IRB Sevens World Series standing.
Australia last won an IRB Sevens tournament in Brisbane in 2002.
Aussie Spirit: Patrick McCutcheon (captain), Robert Coleman, Mitchell Felsman, Liam Gill, Talalelei Grey, Benjamin Johnston, Brackin Karauria-Henry, Edward Quirk, Brian Sefanaia, Clinton Sills, James Stannard, Jacob Taylor.
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