'True gold does not fear the flame': Coach gets mystical as sevens superstar returns
Updated . First published
Lethal try-scorer Maddison Levi will make a much needed return for Australia at a new look Hong Kong Sevens on March 28-30.
Levi, the reigning world women's sevens player of the year, has been sidelined since January when she fractured a thumb playing in Perth.
Australia went on to win their home tournament without Levi but had to settle for third in Vancouver in February.
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Maddison Levi of Australia breaks away from Amee Leigh Murphy Crowe of Ireland. Getty
Australia (70 points) sits second behind arch-rivals New Zealand (76) with just two tournaments to go.
The returns of Levi and Sariah Paki (calf) help offset the big losses of Charlotte Caslick, Bienne Terita, Demi Hayes and Heidi Dennis.
Caslick and Terita are focusing on Super Rugby Women's while Hayes and Dennis are injured.
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Kai Tak Stadium seats 50,000 and will host the Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament. Getty
The iconic tournament will be held for the first time at the state of the art, 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium, with record crowds expected.
"A revamped Hong Kong Sevens awaits us with a new stadium, and another iconic location," Australia coach Tim Walsh said.
"We are fielding our youngest team in our history, our least number of total caps since 2015 and our most disruptive preparation ever.
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"A perfect storm for an Aussie sevens performance demonstrating character and resilience.
"As we are heading into China, we are embracing ancient Chinese wisdom to prepare ourselves for the challenges ahead. 'True gold does not fear the flame' is our mantra."
Meanwhile, Australia men's coach Liam Barry has recalled teenager Hadley Tonga to his squad with Michael Icely (knee) ruled out.
Kai Tak Stadium seats 50,000 and will host the Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament. Getty
Tonga made his debut in Perth but was not picked for Vancouver where the team finished seventh.
"Hong Kong is the original and legacy event and in a new stadium under the roof on day one we're pumped for the occasion," Barry said.
"Some of the players were quite crook in Vancouver, we had a few boys get off their beds to play so it was a fair effort and I thought we played better in Vancouver than we did in Perth (finishing second).
"We want to maintain our position on the standings, move forward and keep improving in areas we have done so throughout the season."
The Aussie men have been drawn in Pool B with matches against New Zealand, South Africa and Uruguay.
Australia's women meet Spain and Canada on the opening day in Pool C before a clash against Japan on day two.
WOMEN'S DRAW
- Friday March 28: Australia vs Spain – 1.53pm AEDT
- Friday March 28: Australia vs Canada – 4.57pm AEDT
- Saturday, March 29: Australia vs Japan – 12.53pm AEDT
MEN'S DRAW
- Friday, March 28: Australia vs New Zealand – 8.30pm AEDT
- Friday, March 28: Australia vs South Africa – 11.39pm AEDT
- Saturday, March 29: Australia vs Uruguay – 4.20pm AEDT
