NSW Waratahs halfback and former Australia under 20s captain Teddy Wilson is in line to make his Rugby Sevens debut at the seventh round of the HSBC SVNS World Series in Singapore on May 3-5, the penultimate round of the series.
Wilson, the son of former Wallaby and World Cup winner David Wilson, is one of two changes to John Manenti’s side.
The 21-year-old Waratahs halfback has been called into the squad with Maurice Longbottom (hamstring) and Matt Gonzalez (shoulder) unavailable through injury.
Young gun James McGregor also returns for his second tournament after making his Sevens debut in Cape Town.
The Aussie men have already qualified for the world series Final in Madrid in June after finishing fourth in Hong Kong and will be looking to improve their ranking for both the Final and the Paris Olympic Games in July.
“As the tournaments roll around, they all become more significant in one way or another,” Manenti said.
“For us, the chance to play consistently remains a key focus. There were heaps of positives to take from Hong Kong and on a short turnaround we’ve worked on a few areas to improve on for Singapore.
“On the back of a few injury niggles, we get to welcome Teddy Wilson from the Waratahs into the squad for his debut.
“We are grateful to the Waratahs to give us the opportunity to play Teddy and know that he will fit right in with the team.
“We also welcome back for his second cap, Jimmy McGregor. He was the standout player in the recent Hong Kong 10s tournament when playing with the PAC BaaBaas and has been training full-time with us for the past six months.
“The rest of the squad remains the same, with ‘Hoops’ getting further exposure after handling Hong Kong well.”
For the Women's side, Tim Walsh has made two key changes with Australian legends Charlotte Caslick and Sharni Smale set to miss the Singapore trip due to niggling injuries.
Dominique Du Toit returns from an ankle injury in a timely boost while Lily Dick and Sidney Taylor are the fresh faces in the squad with Bienne Terita also unavailable.
The Aussie women claimed bronze in Hong Kong and are chasing another strong showing with arch-rivals New Zealand currently equal in points at the top of the table.
“We are after a performance in Singapore as we prepare for the final event in Madrid and the Olympics in July,” Walsh said.
“We are equal top on competition points with New Zealand, which makes for a Singapore showdown, and watching France beat them in Hong Kong at their peak makes for a very competitive last couple of tournaments.
“Madison Ashby will captain the team in Charlotte Caslick’s absence and both Bridget Clark and Ruby Nicholas will play in their second cap in Singapore.”
The women’s side start their campaign against Brazil at 2:30pm (AEST) on Friday 3 May before clashing with Great Britain at 8:05pm (AEST) later in the evening.
The Aussie men face series leaders Argentina in their first match at 4:42pm (AEST) on Friday 3 May, followed by Canada at 10:14pm (AEST).
Every round of the HSBC SVNS series will be shown exclusive, ad-free, live and on demand on Stan Sport.
Australia Women’s Sevens team for Singapore SVNS: 1. Lily Dick 3. Faith Nathan 4. Dominique Du Toit 5. Teagan Levi 6. Madison Ashby (c) 8. Kaitlin Shave 9. Tia Hinds 10. Bella Nasser 12. Maddison Levi 14. Bridget Clark 23. Ruby Nicholas 65. Sariah Paki 98. Sidney Taylor
Australia Men’s Sevens team for Singapore SVNS: 1. Henry Hutchison 2. Ben Dowling 3. Henry Palmer 4. Dietrich Roache 6. Henry Paterson 10. Nick Malouf (c) 12. Nathan Lawson 14. James Turner 18. James McGregor 25. Hayden Sargeant 30. Teddy Wilson 77. Michael Hooper 87. Michael Icely
HSBC SVNS SINGAPORE – AUSTRALIA WOMEN
Pool C
Friday, May 3
Australia v Brazil - 2:30pm (AEST)
Australia v Great Britain - 8:05pm (AEST)
Saturday, May 4
Australia v Fiji - 2:50pm (AEST)
HSBC SVNS SINGAPORE – AUSTRALIA MEN
Pool A
Friday, May 3
Australia v Argentina - 4:42pm (AEST)
Australia v Canada - 10:14pm (AEST)
Saturday, May 4
Australia v New Zealand - 5:12pm (AEST)
