TOGETHER ON GOLDEN AIM
SEVENS SIDES UNITED IN GAMES LEAD-UP
CAMARADERIE has been the key to turning around the fortunes Australia’s men’s and women’s sevens rugby teams. After failed campaigns by both at the Tokyo Olympics, Rugby Australia made the controversial call to have the coaches Tim Walsh and John Manenti swap back over, after they’d already been swapped once.
Walsh returned to the women’s team he’d led to gold at the Rio Olympics, and Manenti came back to the men’s team, which star Maurice Longbottom revealed he helped the team culture.
“That was a bit funny, the coach swap here and there, we can’t control that as players, all we can control is what’s on the field and that’s what we’re doing,” Longbottom said.
“John has changed a fair bit, he’s brought in that team culture ... and you can tell that during the week when we’re on the World Series, we’re hanging out together, constantly playing games and taking the piss out of each other and just having a laugh.
We’re just enjoying each others’ company. It’s a different group as well, some young lads and some old lads, so it’s a good mix.”
Longbottom and his team are bullish about their medal chances at the
Birmingham Commonwealth Games to be played from July 29-31 – Australia has previously won silver in Delhi 2010, and bronze in Kuala Lumpur 1998 and Glasgow 2014.
The men prevailed in a thrilling final against New Zealand in their previous World Series tournament in London to sit second overall on the table behind South Africa, with only one more event left in Los Angeles on August 27-28.
But for now, the focus is entirely on Birmingham.
“Getting that win in London has given us a lot more confidence to trust our system and back ourselves,” Longbottom said. “We know what we have to do to win games, we just have to do it and trust the process, which is what we did in London.
“I’d be disappointed if we didn’t finish top two, top three.”
The Aussie women are flying high after winning this year’s World Series by a comfortable margin, winning both Dubai tournaments, as well as Seville and Langford, claiming bronze in Malaga and silver in their previous tournament in Toulouse.
Flyer Charlotte Caslick revealed after that result that Walsh had brought a light touch to the squad.
“When they first announced the swap, I thought it would have a really good outcome. In the past, Walshy seems to get the best out of girls, he’s really creative and puts a lot of time into things off the field, which girls find important, where I think boys might not appreciate it as much,” Caslick said.
“We’ve been away for a month and he’s recorded the whole time and then put together a really lovely video, which for girls, we love.
“He seems to be able to get the best out of girls individually, it’s been the same from going to Rio to now.”