Seven to watch at Sydney Sevens

Thu, Jan 26, 2023, 3:03 AM
SS
by Sydney Sevens
Here's what makes the perfect Sevens Player

The World Series is full of exciting athletes from across the world.

With the event set to return to Sydney, who better to tell you the players to watch than World Rugby commentators Rikki Swannell and Sean Maloney?

READ THE FULL SYDNEY SEVENS PROGRAM HERE

Seven Women to watch - Rikki Swannell

1 JASMINE JOYCE (GBR) 

Loves Sevens so much her teammates make her sing a song about it.

Loves scoring tries even more – watch the Welshwoman go!

2. KRISSY SCURFIELD (CAN)

Another one of the absolutely speedsters on the circuit.

Tough, fast and athletic, if Canada can get her enough ball, she will go through teams or around them. 

3. LUCY MULHALL (IRE)

As unofficial president of the Lucy Mulhall fan club, I’m accepting new members.

She is the heart and soul of whatever Ireland does.

4 SAMMY SULLIVAN (USA)

A lieutenant in the US Army, Sullivan is proper hard.

She only made her debut recently and has been a massive find for the emerging USA squad.

5 RISI POURI-LANE (NZL)

You already know the stars of the NZ team, so meet Risi Pouri-Lane.

Playmaker and a demon on defence.

6 ALYSIA LEFAU-FAKAOSILEA (AUS)

In a team full of standouts, Alysia is a bit of an unsung hero.

She pops up all the time, carries hard into contact and is rugged on defence.

7 REAPI ULUNISAU (FJI)

Whoa! One second she’s there, the next she’s gone – agile, fast, elusive, she’ll go through a defence before you’ve even realised. 

Seven Men to watch - Sean Maloney

1 JERRY TUWAI (FIJ)

Arguably the greatest ever Fijian Sevens player.

The two-time Olympic gold Medallist is a certain World Rugby Hall of Famer …’Jerry…Jerry…Jerry.’

 2 JORDAN CONROY (IRE)

With Carlin Isles off the circuit for the moment, Conroy is undeniably the fastest man in Sydney.

The suave-looking, smooth-moving Irishman is a try scoring freak.

3 PERRY BAKER (USA)

 ‘PB11’ has scored more tries for the USA than any other man in Sevens history.

He’s spectacular through the air and lethal on the ground.

At 36 he’s as dangerous now as when he landed on the series nine years back.

4 SAM DICKSON (NZL)

NZ’s captain and workhorse can spin games in his team’s favour with clever steals and breakdown smarts.

He’s clocked over 50 tournaments and will be everywhere at Allianz.

5 RICARDO DUARTTE (RSA)

Our freshest on the list, the South African flogged his car early last year to afford time in the famed Stellenbosch Sevens Academy. Now he’s a Blitzbok.

He’s a cross field threat and can motor in space. ‘Tricky Ricky’ has got game.

6 HENRY HUTCHISON (AUS)

The Aussie captain will also be the side’s most capped this weekend.

He helped the Aussies to a Hong Kong Sevens title last November and has refined his game across the last decade to be one of the hardest players to handle on the series.

7 MAURICE LONGBOTTOM (AUS)

Australia’s freakish ball-player has been creating space and shredding defences for a long time now and if anything, is getting better as the years roll on.

He’s genuine box-office and if he goes well, so will the host team in Sydney. 

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