Australian men’s Sevens head coach Geraint John has named his 12-man squad that will travel to Asia for the Dubai Sevens in December.
The pacy duo of Greg Jeloudev (ankle) and Allan Fa’alava’au (ineligible) return after sitting out the Gold Coast Sevens World Series opener in October.
Veteran forward Jesse Parahi misses out after breaking a finger in training last Thursday and will undergo surgery on Monday. Afa Pakalani (shoulder) and Shannon Walker (foot) are also unavailable through injury.
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“I’ve picked a squad that I believe has the attributes to really impress in Dubai. We have added some extra pace and dynamism with the inclusion of Greg [Jeloudev] and Allan [Fa’alava’au] and I feel we have the attacking capabilities to hurt the opposition.
“In my opinion we have a tough pool in Dubai and we will need to be at our very best if we are to progress to the Cup Quarters. Kenya and the USA both have experienced coaches at the helm and have some terrific athletes to choose from, while England have a nice balance to their squad this year and enjoyed some special wins on the Gold Coast,” John said.
Australia opens its Pool C campaign against Paul Treu’s Kenyan side before a clash against a USA side, likely to feature the fastest man on the Sevens circuit in Carlin Isles. England provide the opposition for the final pool clash, fresh off the back of a promising tournament on the Gold Coast that saw them finish third.
Australia currently sit joint-seventh on 10 points after the first stop of the 2014 / 2015 series. Fiji are the early series leaders after thrilling their way to victory in South-East Queensland in October.
Australia Sevens squad: Cameron Clark, Tom Cusack, Allan Fa’alava’au, Con Foley, Pama Fou, Alex Gibbon, Lewis Holland, Greg Jeloudev, Ed Jenkins, Nick Malouf, Sam Myers, James Stannard.