by Lorraine Genia – EM TV Sports
The Australian Women’s Sevens team has been granted a golden opportunity to push for Olympic selection when they compete at the 2015 Pacific Games, as reported by the Australian Olympic Committee.
The Australian team are set to bring a higher standard of competition, and will certainly challenge the PNG Palais, after coming off a successful performance at the Amsterdam Sevens.
Women’s rugby sevens head coach Tim Walsh says the Pacific Games will be the perfect opportunity for the team to gain tournament experience. The Australian team have already secured qualification for the Rio Olympics, after a victorious performance at both the London and Amsterdam Sevens events.
The Pacific Games will provide a platform for the team’s selection to Rio in 2016.
The current squad consists of some of Australia’s best womens sevens players. Nicole Beck, who will captain the team in July, has played in three of this year’s tournaments on the world series circuit. 19-year-olds Brooke Anderson and Tanisha Stanton will also feature in the team, adding a touch of youth to the heavily experienced squad.
With the Aussies expected to bring in tougher competition, and impose a threat to many of the Pacific Island nations, the PNG Palais will be forced to step up to the plate.
Their first game will be against New Caledonia on Wednesday, 8 July at the Sir John Guise Stadium, followed by tougher matches in their pool against Tonga and Fiji.
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