Star Roosters recruit bolts into Olympic frame

Former Wallabies stars Mark Nawaqanitawase and Michael Hooper will audition for Olympic Games selection after being named in the Australian sevens squad to play Fiji next week.

Nawaqanitawase was not included in Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies training squad after the Waratahs season ended with a loss to the Reds last month.

The 23-year-old winger will join the NRL’s Roosters next season and his availability is a potential godsend for sevens coach John Manenti as he searches for some extra firepower in Paris.

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Nawaqanitawase played sevens for Australia at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

“Mark has been with us before and Joe’s decision not to take players that aren’t going to be around next season has freed him up,” Manenti told Rugby.com.au.

“There’s obviously some conversation around the Roosters potentially wanting him early but at this stage he’s keen to be here… he’s training with us, coming to Fiji and putting his best foot forward.”

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Australia will play a series of games against the reigning Olympic champions over a crucial two days before Manenti settles on his squad for Paris.

Hooper is fit again after dealing with osteitis pubis while Force utility Max Burey is also travelling to Fiji as Manenti continues to sweat on playmaker Maurice Longbottom’s return from injury.

Former Wallabies captain Hooper spoke at length last month about the massive challenge of transitioning to sevens.

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“My intuition is to chase the ball, be around the ball, in the contact (in XVs). In attack, you’re coming off the nine’s hip or off the 10 or you’re creating the extra man. In this game, I do that, I kill the team,” Hooper said.

“So if I chase too hard into a ruck (in sevens) and I’m the third man around the ruck – it leaves four of us to ‘D’ (defend) a whole pitch and that’s going to impact the team…

“At times, yeah, I’ve got a turnover or whatever and that’s been beneficial. But you do that against the wrong team or you do that at the wrong time – I’m going to hurt the team… the runway’s been short and it’s a hard game like that… it’s a really, really hard game.”

Australia squad to play Fiji: Dally Bird, Max Burey, Tim Clements, Ben Dowling, Connor Hickey, Michael Hooper, Michael Icely, James McGregor, Mark Nawaqanitawase, Henry Palmer, Henry Paterson, Dietrich Roache, Hayden Sargeant, Josh Turner