Sevens rising star Kaitlin Shave has reflected on her journey across the world to break into the squad and announce herself as a player to watch.
Shave became the 68th player to pull on the gold jersey for the Women's Sevens side in Dubai after building an impressive Rugby CV.
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The Queenslander was a decorated sprinter, taking out the U17 Australian Championship 100m in 2017 with a time of 12.07 before helping the Broncos win an NRL touch premiership in 2019.
The success continued into Rugby, claiming a 10s title in South Africa with the Balkans Honey Badgers at the end of 2022 before emerging as the standout player from the AON Next Gen Sevens series.
Shave's prodigious pace and try-scoring ability caught the eye of coach Tim Walsh, taking her to Vancouver as the 13th, non-playing member of the squad.
Having got a taste of the World Series, the 22-year-old sought further experience in Japan during the off-season, linking up with Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix for four months.
“Being there and learning those girls, how they train and perform and playing against girls that I’ve never played before has definitely helped my skills and awareness of the game," Shave told the media.
“I think coming back and playing Australia A I was definitely on my peak performance. I think it definitely helps to just keep playing games and getting game time under my belt.”
The confidence flourished as Shave got more opportunities on the World Series, linking up with good mate Isabella Nasser for her first try in Dubai as they took out the title.
This culminated in the game-sealing try in Cape Town, stepping up after Maddison Levi's red card with a beautiful in-and-out move to beat French star Anne-Cécile Ciofani and race away.
“It gives me that little boost of confidence knowing I can back myself and I do belong," Shave reflects.
“…I think maybe the old me would’ve be really nervous and have that anxiety before getting on the field but I think the more games that I’ve played, the more calm I feel ever before we get out onto the field.
“Girls (Like Charlotte Caslick and Sharni Smale) like that are big idols and I always look up to them and I try to get alongside them
“It’s really exciting to be out on the field and really learn from them.”
Shave is excited by the chance to play on home soil, with the SVNS World Series heading to Perth over the Australia Day weekend.
“It’s really special to me," she added.
“It’s only my third tournament with the team and any time getting to pull the jersey on is really special. Getting to do it in front of my family and friends is really exciting.”
