Olympic dream over as Ounsley joins Sale

England Sevens player Jodie Ounsley has joined Premier 15s side Sale Sharks after her contract with the Rugby Football Union expired.

The move to the longer format appears to close the door on the 19-year-old’s Olympic ambitions at a time when Great Britain Sevens players are facing uncertainty over whether they will be able to adequately prepare for next year’s Games.

Women’s and men’s England Sevens players have been told to find jobs for up to five months when their funding expires on Aug 31.

England players would have made up the bulk of the Team GB side to play in Tokyo, as they did in Rio.

It is understood Ounsley, who was in her first season with the England Sevens programme, was one of a number of players, both male and female, whose contracts expired on June 30.

Ounsley, who was born profoundly deaf but received cochlear implants as a child, was seen as one of England Sevens’ brightest rising stars, having made her World Series debut in Glendale, Colorado, last October and showed potential as the series went on, scoring her first try in Cape Town in December.

The player who has previously appeared in the Premier 15s for Loughborough Lightning has effectively taken herself out of contention for the Olympics as Premier 15s players sign agreements to commit themselves to their clubs.

However, the former British jiu-jitsu champion could stay at Sale until the new year, when sevens contracts are up for renewal, but it is understood that most Premier 15s clubs now expect players to commit to a full season at their club.

Women’s sevens players were thought to earn around £20,000-£30,000, with Ounsley likely to have been on the lower end of the scale because of her experience.

Sale Sharks and Exeter Chiefs are the new additions to the Premier 15s for the 2020-21 season. The competition is a “locked league” with no relegation and both sides gained their places through a tendering process.

Sale have not made clear if they are paying players match fees and/or retainers, but at the start of last season Saracens introduced retainer payments for female players.

However, a salary cap of £60,000 has been put in place for Premier 15s sides for the forthcoming season.

The 2019-20 Premier 15s was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic and the RFU will be announcing arrangements for the 202021 season next month.