Uni 7s series standouts in Olympic spotlight

EMERGING female rugby talent has been given a huge reason to shine in the new national Uni 7s series: stand out and you could be off to the next Olympic Games.

Coach of the Australian women’s team Tim Walsh has revealed he has three professional contracts in his pocket to sign up the best amateur players in the inaugural Uni 7s competition, which begins next month.

The four-tournament series will be launched in Sydney today ahead of the first leg in Launceston on August 26-27.

The Uni 7s contains eight teams across the country, all aligned with universities.

Members of the gold-medal winning Aussie women’s team have been shared among them and will be the star attractions, but Walsh’s eyes will be on their ambitious teammates.

“I have put aside some contracts there in anticipation we are going to find some raw talent coming out of that series,” Walsh said. “There is a really good take-up and the teams have four tournaments to build up some consistency. It’s not just a one-off weekend.

“So that gives us a deeper look at what’s our there and I guess we are looking for athletes with a real point of difference. If they have the basic skills, we can train them up.”

“But it’s that real speed or physicality that we are going to be looking for to complement our squad.”