Legendary Sevens superstar Sharni Smale has announced her retirement from the sevens-a-side format at the Paris Olympics.
Smale (née Williams) leaves a legacy unlike many others as a trailblazer and one of the finest Sevens athletes to grace the field.
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The 36-year-old will play her last Sevens event after debuting in 2011, winning everything there is to claim alongside good friend and fellow legend Charlotte Caslick.
The 2016 Olympic gold is the standout, cemented as one of the most important in Australian sport in the 21st century, inspiring a generation of females to play contact sports, including Rugby Sevens.
Smale was co-captain alongside Shannon Parry in Rio, awarded an Order of Australia Medal for her heroics.
Set to go to her third Olympics, the Commonwealth and World Cup champion calls time on her Sevens career as a small town girl from Batlow with a big legacy.
“There has got to be a point where Sharni Smale steps away and the game is in a healthy position,” she told Rugby.com.au
“These young girls coming through are really proving themselves so it’s time for me to step away and make sure there’s space there for these girls coming through
“Nothing really changes, it just means stepping away from this amazing family that I have had for the last 12 years.”
Partner Mel has been with Smale the entire journey as her rock, inspiring her through the ups and downs
“It’s definitely an emotional feeling but one of real pride in terms of what she has achieved personally and for the game,” partner Mel said.
“My first time seeing Sharni play was in Rio 2016 off the back of a fairly significant injury and we didn’t even know she was going to make it so this feels really fitting to end the Sevens career.
“It feels right and I think she’s really happy.”
It hasn’t been all smooth sailing and triple crowns for Smale.
The Olympics have almost been a magnet for setbacks, overcoming a serious knee injury before 2016, dealing with the restrictions of COVID in Tokyo and requiring gallbladder surgery in April.
“I don’t do things lightly,” she said and smiled.
“It’s major surgery and as an athlete, you think about getting on with it and move on but to have the gallbladder pulled out through your belly button and knit those abs back together, it’s serious.
“I took a couple of hits and takes and got to play my first game back last month and felt really good.”
The overused trope around sports players is they’re as good people as athletes, which given Smale's status in the game is a very high bar to reach.
But Smale clears it like she’s competing at the Stade de France later in the Olympics in the high jump.
She is always there for a chat or to support the younger teammates coming through and empathises with everyone no matter their standing or ranking.
“Nothing really changes, right? I’m a human being and Rugby is what I do but my core values and beliefs are in giving back and supporting a community,” Smale believes.
“I’m looking to try and buy a business and really embrace myself in the community, make it better and it will just be like my little footy team."
“I think that for Sharni from a personal perspective, you see that dazzling smile and for a lot of athletes in the social perspective, you see that happy and good but Sharni is the first to say she’s a human first and a rugby player second,” Mel added.
“I think that sometimes players can appear larger than life and it’s a pretty fizzing life to be living but there’s always still vulnerability there. She had the nickname ‘Women of Steel’ where people think nothing fazes her but there’s a really soft side to her and it’s a really special part of her.”
Symbolism is big for Smale, with the triple crown, Olympics and 8816 (the date of the Rio Final plus ’88 representing her year of birth) tattooed on her forearm.
Even the date of this announcement was with purpose as the 20th player to play the game of Sevens for Australia.
But nothing means more than the change of last name on her jersey after marrying Mel in 2023.
“It’s huge. I’ve gone to two Olympics with the Williams name on the back but to now have Smale, it’s the childhood dream to get married and start a family,” Smale said.
“It’s a Kiwi name so I’ve already spoken to Mel’s family to say there’s going to be a Kiwi in the Australian team but we’ve got a couple of other Kiwis in the team.
“To be united with Mel as Smale, to try and get to the games is the thing but to get there with your partner and supporters, and she’s sacrificed quite a lot to get me there, it’s the little things that she does every single day to make me better.”
Convincing them to fully convert to the gold jersey is another battle but the support from the Smale family was instant
“It’s quite surreal. My family never thought our Kiwi family would have Smale on the back of any kind of Australian jersey but it’s just such an overwhelming sense of pride and honour,” Mel notes.
“My family got on board pretty quickly with the Sharni fan club but even now they’re still like ‘Oh the Kiwis played well.’ They’re incredibly proud of her and they were quite touched when she told them and they’ll be so proud to see her running out there with a Smale name on their jersey.
Smale is in the unique position where the girls she inspired are now right next to her trying to win gold.
Young guns like the Levis, Tia Hinds and Bridget Clark label Smale as an inspiration and an idol for getting into the game along with Caslick.
“They were such big role models for me and I still see them as role models,” Clark said.
“They inspire me every day and encourage me to work harder and I really look up to them even though they’re my teammates.
“It’s an incredible tribute to her and also must be quite a sense of pride to have those people beside you that once upon a time looked at her from a difference,” Mel added.
“I don’t think often an athlete would get that opportunity because of her longevity in the game to experience something like that so I think that’s quite special.”
Coach Tim Walsh was also glowing with his praise for Smale, both the ‘gladiator’ on the field and the wonderful person off it.
“The respect I have for Sharni is of the highest order,” he said.
“She has a heart full of love and plays like a fierce gladiator. Her career is glittered with highlight after highlight.
“She embraces the big moments and leads by example.
“Unique in every way her longevity and consistency are all due to preparation, process, professionalism and love for the game.”
The bond Smale shared with these players, Walsh and others who have donned the jersey will last longer than anything on the field.
The ‘matriarch’ of the Sevens program will likely reunite with them in the 15-a-side format, with a return to the Wallaroos on the cards.
“It’s exciting to see them grow. I’ve been part of the program for 12 years and seeing the game grow, see so many people grow I take as a privilege to be a part of,” Smale reflects.
“We call them my family so to watch them evolve and see the disheartened times, that’s part of what happens as a family in that you see the good, ugly, bad and the bright sides.
“We’ve seen the disappointment and the losses but we’ve learned from it and now you get to see off the back end of the world series what success is in their ears. You just see their eyes light up.
“It’s a privilege to see all the different emotions but to see the growth of these guys is unreal.”
