Aussie 7s pro series details released

Although nominally an Australian inter-university tournament, the details of the inaugural Women's Aon Uni 7s Series kicks off in August show that it will be a far more high-powered event that it might at first appear.Only half of each of the eight university squads will be students - and there is no on-field quota. On the other hand the entire Australian Women’s Sevens squad - including Charlotte Caslick, Shannon Parry, Sharni Williams, Emilee Cherry, Alicia Quirk, Chloe Dalton and Evania Pelite - will take part with at least two players allocated to each of the squads..Australian Sevens Head Coach Tim Walsh will be watching every tournament as he searches for the next generation of players. With five states and territories represented in the competition, he says the national scope of the Series should prompt female athletes from a range of sports to consider whether they could be Australia’s next sevens star:

“Our Rio team was made up of plenty of amazing women who used to play other sports,” he said. “If you can run fast, catch and have plenty of determination, you have the foundation to be a Rugby Sevens champion. We hope to discover plenty of new talent this year, whether they come from a rugby background or not.  Flying around the country to compete with and against gold medallists is an opportunity that not many athletes ever get, so I’m looking forward to see which teams and which players step up to challenge and make the most of their chance on the national stage.”The Series kicks off at Tasmania, where the host team will be led by former Wallaby Luke Burgess. Sydney’s Macquarie University will host the next two-day tournament, followed by the University of Queensland in Brisbane and then Bond University on the Gold Coast, where the tournament will run alongside the 2017 Australian University Games.The eight competing universities will be the University of Canberra (ACT), University of Adelaide (SA), University of Tasmania (TAS) University of New England (NSW), Macquarie University (NSW), Bond University (QLD), University of Queensland (QLD) and Griffith University (QLD).

No further details have yet been released, but whenannounced last yearit was said that the 20-strong squads would all be "fully professional"2017 Women's Aon Uni 7s Series dates:Round 1 - University of Tasmania Stadium, Launceston, 25-26 AugustRound 2 - Macquarie University fields, Sydney, 9-10 SeptemberRound 3 - University of Queensland fields, Brisbane, 16-17 SeptemberRound 4 - Bond University fields, Gold Coast, 29-30 September