The stars of Australian women's sevens have been allocated to Aon Uni 7s sides ahead of the competition that will kickstart their Olympic defence.
The third season of Aon Uni 7s will feature more game time for members of the Australian women's team in rounds one and four, with wider squad members to play across all four rounds of competition.
And with a massive year for sevens looming, head coach John Manenti and selectors will be looking to unearth potential new talent to join the Aussie 7s main squad as well as testing the best players to ensure they continue to build ahead of their 2020 Olympic campaign.
The likes of Charlotte Caslick, Ellia Green, Emma Tonegato and Sharni Williams, along with the next generation of Aussie 7s stars, will feature prominently throughout the four-round series that moves across the country in September and October.
National head coach John Manenti said the next 12 months would be huge for the sport.
"And the third season of the Aon University Sevens Series is crucial in continuing our development," he said.
“The HSBC Sevens World Series is expanding from six to eight tournaments with more back-to-back rounds which is an exciting development for the women’s game and means that we will need players putting their hands up for spots.
“The competition amongst the universities continues to grow and, as coach, it is really exciting to see the next generation putting their hands up.”
Rugby Australia's general manager of high performance, Ben Whitaker said the Aon Uni 7s was a crucial step on the women’s rugby pathway.
"We have seen the immensely positive effect it has had on our Aussie 7s program over the first two seasons," Whitaker said.
“The competition amongst players and teams is fierce and our overall depth has greatly improved, with several players making the transition to the world series.
“Domestically it's important as well to have that clear pathway and for individual players to have that experience of competing on a national level and we look forward to seeing how the competition grows in season three.”
The Aon University Sevens Series kicks off on September 14 at the University of Queensland with every round to be broadcast LIVE on RUGBY.com.au.
2019 Aon University Sevens Series
Round 1, 14-15 September, University of Queensland
Round 2, 28-29 September, Bond University
Round 3, 12-13 October, University of Adelaide
Round 4, 26-27 October, University of Canberra
2019 Qantas Australian Women’s Sevens Player allocation
University of Sydney: Shannon Parry and Jakiya Whitfeld
University of Melbourne: Ellia Green and Page McGregor
University of Technology, Sydney: Sariah Paki, Maddison Higgins Ashby
University of Adelaide: Evania Pelite and Mahalia Murphy
University of Canberra: Sharni Williams and Yasmin Meakes
University of New England: Alicia Quirk and Rhiannon Byers
Bond University (Gold Coast): Charlotte Caslick and Lauren Brown
Griffith University: Samantha Treherne, Lily Dick, and Demi Hayes
University of Queensland: Emma Sykes, Cassie Staples
University of Western Australia: Emma Tonegato and Dominique Du Toit
