Lachie Turner bolsters Australia’s charge for Rugby Sevens gold in Delhi

Wallabies winger Lachie Turner will head Australia’s charge for Rugby Sevens gold in Delhi after winning selection in coach Michael O’Connor’s 12-man Commonwealth Games team.
 
Turner, who has some previous experience in the shortened version of the game, joins Super 14 Rookie of the Year Pat McCabe, Western Force winger Nick Cummins and Wallabies 2009 spring tourist Luke Morahan as four fresh faces in the Games team among seasoned Sevens campaigners who competed during the recent IRB Sevens World Series.
 
Australia recorded their best result in over eight years on the world circuit after finishing third and are expected to turn in an even better performance in Delhi on 11-12 October following the inclusion of the experienced quartet.
 
The squad has a chance to create history if they can finish with gold or silver as Australia has not medaled at the Commonwealth Games since securing bronze in 1998 when Rugby Sevens was first granted entry in Kuala Lumpur.
 
Coach O’Connor has opted for a mix of big game experience and proven combinations, naming three members of the London Sevens-winning team in Bernard Foley, Nicholas Phipps and James Stannard.
 
Australia have been drawn alongside arch-rivals England in the pools and will take plenty of confidence from their performance at Twickenham where they defeated the hosts during the pool rounds and then went on to claim the title, Australia’s first since 2002.
 
Australia will also take on Namibia and Sri Lanka in Pool D but 2006 silver-medalists England pose the biggest threat to Australia finishing top of their pool and securing a favourable seeding in the quarter-finals.
 
NSW Waratahs recruit Patrick McCutcheon reassumes the Sevens captaincy from Stannard after missing the final two legs of the Sevens World Series to compete in the Super Rugby finals.
 
The 23-year-old flanker was involved with the national squad during June alongside Turner and Cummins, playing two mid-week games for the Australian Barbarians against England.
 
O’Connor said he’s confident his squad’s has the ability to be highly competitive.
 
“Three quarters of this squad is from this year’s Sevens Series and they’ve tasted good success, they’ve got good experience and solid combinations,” O’Connor said.
 
“I’ve been able to keep the nucleus of the team together and the four that have come in have been brought in to enhance the side.
 
“I think they’ve got the attributes which tick all of the right boxes.
 
“Morahan was our best player in 2009 and he’s come back into the squad very seamlessly.”
 
Turner said the squad is working hard in their preparation for the Games which includes a hit-out against world champions Samoa in Darwin on 1-3 October in a warm-up tournament prior to Delhi.
 
“We’re just all working on our individual skills and fitness and hopefully that will give us that extra edge come the Delhi Games,” Turner said.
 
“We’ll be hard to beat and I’m sure we’ll come away with some silverware.”
 
Australian Commonwealth Games Association CEO, Perry Crosswhite, said the teams vital inclusions would work strongly towards securing Australia’s first Rugby Sevens gold medal.
 
“The Rugby Sevens competition at the Commonwealth Games is always fierce, with many of the teams competing ranked amongst the world’s best,” Crosswhite said.
 
“We have been out of the medals since the sport was introduced in Kuala Lumpur in 1998, but the team’s recent performances and strong inclusions has put them in a positive position ahead of Delhi.”
 
Nine of the 12 members of the Games squad hold Super Rugby contracts for 2011 and Morahan, winger Kimami Sitauti and flanker Liam Gill recently competed at the IRB Junior World Championships in Argentina where the Australian Under 20s recorded their best-ever result to finish runners-up to New Zealand.
 
2010 Australian Commonwealth Games Rugby Sevens team
 
Robbie Coleman (20, NSW)
Nick Cummins (22, WA)
Bernard Foley (20, NSW)
Liam Gill (18, QLD)
Pat McCabe (22, NSW)
Pat McCutcheon (23, NSW)
Luke Morahan (20, QLD)
Nick Phipps (21, NSW)
Brian Sefanaia (24, NSW)
Kimami Sitauti (19, QLD)
James Stannard (27, ACT)
Lachie Turner (23, NSW)