Australia Men's Sevens coach John Manenti believes Wallaby and Waratahs outside back Mark Nawaqanitawase can be a major point of difference as they push towards an Olympic medal.
The Eastwood product reunites with his old coach as they head to Fiji for a series of warm-up games against the Olympic champions.
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Nawaqanitawase was rushed into the Commonwealth Games squad in 2022 under Manenti, finishing fourth after defeats to New Zealand and South Africa.
With Nawaqanitawase set to head to the NRL at the end of the season, the incumbent Wallabies winger is focused on the Olympics and being a game-changer for an undersized Australian team.
“He’s training hard and doing everything he can do. It’s a fast learning curve and we do things differently. He’s had a couple of pretty hard days training and he definitely looks invested to me," Manenti said to Rugby.com.au
“We’re keen to see how he goes. He’s probably the biggest body that we’ve got and he can move too. He’s got some great attributes that are handy in Sevens.
“We had him in the Commonwealth Games which for me was probably a seven-day preparation so we didn’t really get anywhere with him where now we’ve got some time to make some changes and get him into good habits.”
The Waratah is one of several prospects in contention for a call-up, with Western Force playmaker Max Burey also selected for this Fiji tour.
Corey Toole and Darby Lancaster have also been thrown up for potential returns to the Sevens program pending Wallabies selection.
Manenti has been working closely with new Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt to ensure the best scenario for both sides.
"Joe agrees that it's a priority and it's the pinnacle event for Rugby Australia but how the players feel about that themselves is the challenge. Do you want to play for the Wallabies or do you want to go to the Olympics? It's not an easy answer," he pondered.
"With us, it's a pinnacle event and it's a once every four years, potentially once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for blokes.
"Equally, they might be trying to get a foot in the door with Wallabies for Lions (in 2025) which is important or even just playing for the Wallabies in some cases for the first time.
"Joe has been supportive as much as he can because we've got a pretty short list of back three players available for selection and we're probably fighting for the same small group of players who are players of interest for both of us."
