The Qantas Australian Men’s Sevens squad has been named for the Hong Kong Sevens as Tim Walsh’s side looks to top a difficult Pool C against New Zealand, Fiji and Kenya.
Australian playmaker Maurice Longbottom returns to the side after overcoming a hamstring injury he sustained at the HSBC Sydney 7s in February, alongside Tim Anstee who last played at the HSBC Dubai Sevens.
Dylan Pietsch has held his place in the side following an eye-catching display at the Vancouver Sevens while Lachlan Miller is set to earn just his third cap when he runs out in Hong Kong.
Qantas Australian Men’s Sevens Head Coach, Tim Walsh said: “The Hong Kong Sevens is the flagship event on the entire HSBC Sevens World Series and every team always rises to the challenge.
“Sevens leaves little margin for error and our errors in recent tournaments have cost us dearly. We can control how we prepare for our next match and tournament. We learn from our experiences and prepare to play without regret and without fear.
“The squad, as always, has worked hard since returning from the North America leg and we’ve made some changes to the team to adjust for our plans accordingly.
“Bringing two quality players like Maurice Longbottom and Tim Anstee back is really exciting for the whole group and we know how dangerous they can be.
“This round is a real opportunity for this squad and the team is looking forward to the challenge.”
Australia currently sits sixth on the HSBC Sevens World Series standings with four legs to go in the 2018/19 season.
Qantas Australian Men's Sevens Squad for Hong Kong Sevens
1.Nick Malouf (vc), 34 caps, University of Queensland
2. Simon Kennewell, Norths (Sydney), 15 caps
3. Jeral Skelton, Brothers, 10 caps
4. Lachlan Miller, Southern Cross University (Coffs Harbour), 2 caps
5. Lewis Holland (C), Queanbeyan, 43 caps
6. Ben O’Donnell, Randwick, 15 caps
7. Tim Anstee, Eastwood, 20 caps
8. Liam McNamara, Sunnybank, 12 caps
9. Henry Hutchison, Randwick, 22 caps
10. Dylan Pietsch, Randwick, 12 caps
11. Maurice Longbottom, Lloyd McDermott Rugby Development Team, 11 caps
12. Joe Pincus, Easts (Sydney), 2 caps
13th Brandon Quinn, Gordon, 14 caps
Qantas Australian Men’s Sevens Fixtures, Hong Kong Sevens
Friday 5 April
Australia v New Zealand, 10.15pm AEDT
Saturday 6 April
Australia v Fiji, 4.13pm AEDT
Australia v Kenya, 7.33pm AEDT
