Source : ABC NEWS
Two tournaments, each lasting three days, will decide where Australia finishes in the men’s rugby sevens World Championship standings.
But if you ask Australia captain Henry Hutchison, a single day may seal his side’s fate.
The second leg of the 12-team World Championship begins in Valladolid, Spain on Friday evening AEDT, with Australia facing Kenya and Great Britain in pool matches on day one.
South Africa, the World Championship standings leader, is Australia’s final pool opponent on Saturday AEDT.
“I think day one in Spain [could] be the most important day of our season,” Hutchison told ABC Sport.
Hutchison knows results on the opening day will set the tone for the remainder of Australia’s campaign in Valladolid.
Wins over Kenya and Great Britain would boost Australia’s chances of finishing at least second in its pool, guaranteeing a quarterfinal berth.
Third place might be enough to advance to the quarterfinals but Australia would need to rely on results in the other pools to secure a non-automatic spot.
Reaching the Valladolid knockout stages would give Australia the opportunity to improve on its current ranking of sixth on the World Championship standings.
It would also relieve pressure on the squad ahead of the third and final World Championship leg to be held in Bordeaux (June 5-7).
Australia must be inside the top eight on the standings after Bordeaux to qualify for the 2026/27 regular season, which is known as the World Series.
Finishing lower than eighth means Australia would be staring at World Series relegation.
The women’s competition shares the same format, although Australia comfortably sits in second place behind New Zealand on the overall standings.
“It (day one) may put us back into a position where we can be fighting for a podium finish,” Hutchison said.
“Or if we struggle, we’ll be scrapping and potentially fighting in a relegation-type of scenario.”
Australia is focused on making a winning start in Valladolid. (Getty Images: Yu Chun Christopher Wong)
Hutchison is not being overly cautious by emphasising the importance of the first day in Valladolid.
The international depth in men’s rugby sevens is extraordinary, as illustrated by the fact Olympic gold medallist France is eighth on the World Championship standings.
Traditional powerhouses New Zealand and Fiji are fourth and fifth respectively, while Spain — regarded as a minnow in 15-a-side rugby — is third.
The Spaniards defeated Australia 19-5 in the quarterfinals at last month’s opening World Championship tournament in Hong Kong.
“The competition is so tight,” Hutchison said.
“Gone are the days of two or three teams just smashing opponents and winning five games in a tournament.
“Teams are dropping pool games and there are upsets all over the place. Every team is competitive.
“We have 12 teams in this men’s competition, and I genuinely think nine of them reckon they can win it.
“The margins of winning and losing are ridiculously small. There can be two or three moments over a tournament that can put you into a final or leave you seventh or eighth.
“That’s the reality. Every team has those moments.”
Hutchison’s proud achievement
At 29, Hutchison is already an Australian rugby sevens great.
He made his international debut as a teenager in 2015 and has since become the most-capped player in the history of the Australian men’s program.
Henry Hutchison pictured playing for Australia in 2016. (Getty Images: Daniel Munoz)
The three-time Olympian moved past former teammate Nick Malouf when he contested his 62nd tournament at the Singapore round of the World Series earlier this year.
When reflecting on the achievement, Hutchison is immensely proud, although he did not miss an opportunity to poke fun at himself.
“I guess if you just hang around long enough, you’ll break some longevity record. You can’t get rid of me,” Hutchison joked.
“In the moment, you’re not too stressed or concerned about those kinds of milestones.
“But hopefully [when] I’ve got a few young ones running around, I’ll be able to share that with them.”
For now, though, Hutchison is not looking too far ahead.
He is firmly focused on how Australia fares on the opening day in Valladolid.
“That day one in Spain is so important to nail and if we do that well we can assess how we’re going into Bordeaux,” Hutchison said.
