Five young Queensland girls are being given a tantalising view of France in Olympics mode and where the world of rugby sevens can take them.
The countdown to the action at Stade de France and the rugby sevens tournaments of the Paris Olympics in late July may be rushing at Charlotte Caslick and Co.
Away from the full-house fanfare that will attract, important stepping stones are being laid for the future with the Australia A squad in more low-yet surrounds in France.
Queenslanders (pictured from left) Ava Wereta, Piper Flynn, Faythe Manera, Emmisyn Wynyard and Fleur Ginn are in action against top-level competition.
Never has a town been better named for rugby than Tours on the Loire River in central France where six matches were played against New Zealand and Ireland last weekend. More matches follow this weekend with the Kiwis, France and Germany amongst the varied opposition.
The youthful Aussie A side went 3-0 against Ireland and 0-3 against the Black Ferns sevens team.
“There were far more players with a World Series background in both the Kiwi and Irish teams so for us it’s an experience of a lifetime to have our young players get that on-field experience,” said Shannon Parry, the QAS Sevens Academy Head Coach.
“Most of our team is under 21 without a lot of time playing at Open women’s level. You are going to get bumps-and-bruises and not everything going your way in games like this which is all-important. The trip is proving invaluable.”
The Black Ferns sevens team included Olympic gold medallist Kelly Brazier, on the comeback trail. Equally, the Irish had a number of players with experience on the HSBC SVNS stage.
Wynyard, 18, has a burgeoning career. The Redcliffe State High product was a representative-level netballer who has taken huge strides in rugby over the past 12 months with the help of the Reds Academy sevens program as well.
“Her aerial skills from netball and speed to play on the edge have really translated and she’s a fast learner,” Parry said.
Wereta (pictured) was just 17 when she made her debut for the Queensland Reds in Buildcorp Super Rugby Women’s a few months ago.
The playmaker finished at King’s Christian College on the Gold Coast just last year.
She has had rugby in her blood from her earliest days at Coomera Crushers.
“I grew up with the game. My dad played, my brothers played. It was born into me,” Wereta said.
“I played Under-6s to Under-9s with the little boys before expanding more into the women’s pathways.
“There’s so much opportunity for girls now and it’s continuing to grow. The game is only getting bigger. That and the travel in rugby attracted me so much.”
Olympic billboards and the five Olympic rings are in regular sight in France for the Aussie A girls with sport’s grandest event fast approaching.
“’I could be there one day”…I’m sure there are dreams like that taking shape because it is rare to be in a country so close to an Olympics and see it around you," Parry said.
“There will be girls from this group who can think of the 2028 Olympics or being part of Brisbane 2032.”
Parry lived her Olympic dream with that unforgettable gold medal in Rio in 2016. Her coaching tool box is ever-expanding. Coaching also takes the common sense to just shrug and get on with it.
When the Australia A team’s rugby bag with balls, bibs and cones went missing in the week before the Tours games, Parry simply walked into the local sports store and bought some new balls. Play on.
Drop into Ballymore today, Saturday or Sunday and you’ll see another generation of eager and talented sevens players.
Girls in the 15-16 Years and 17-18 Years divisions have descended on Ballymore in numbers to forge their own paths from the Rugby Sevens State Championships.
The next Shannon Parry or Charlotte Caslick may be in those ranks. There are now the pathways to make sure young talents have the best possible chance.
