The Qantas Australian Men’s Sevens team have secured the signature of speedster Henry Hutchison ahead of the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens.
The 2016 World Rugby Sevens Rookie of the Year has been lured back to the Sevens fold by coach Tim Walsh after being granted an early release from his contract by the Melbourne Rebels.
The 21-year old has an amazing strike rate in Rugby Sevens having scored 52 tries in 91 games over two seasons, that included selection at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Hutchison played for the Australian Schoolboys in 2013 before earning selection in the Australian U20s the following season. His rapid rise continued after starring for Randwick in Sydney’s Shute Shield, before making his debut for the Qantas Australian Men’s Sevens team in their Olympic Qualifiers in July 2015 under the tutelage of then-interim coach Tim Walsh.
Qantas Australian Men’s Sevens signing Henry Hutchison said: “I’m really excited to be back with the Sevens team, especially so close to a Sevens World Cup.
“I had a really good time down in Melbourne and learned a lot from the Rebels players and coaching staff so hopefully I can apply a bit of that to my game in Sevens.
“I have to thank the Rebels and Walshy for sorting it all out to get me here before the World Cup as they knew that was important to me,” Hutchison said.=Qantas Australian Men’s Sevens coach Tim Walsh said: “To attract talent such as Henry back into the Sevens program fortifies the strength and attractiveness of the Sevens game.
=“Henry is a proven performer on the Sevens World Series and really compliments the squad by providing finishing speed, ruthless intent over the ball as well as being a jack-of-all trades master of some.
“Dave (Wessels) and Baden (Stephenson) at the Rebels were fantastic to deal with after we expressed interest in getting Henry back into the program. We have the new purpose-built High Performance Sevens headquarters at Rugby Australia as well as a collaborative approach with the Wallabies, Super and Club Rugby.
“The World Cup in San Francisco is the final stop for the season and the format is uniquely knockout. Every game simulates a final and everything is on the line from the first kick off.
“The teams who do not melt in the pressure moments will finish on the podium,” Walsh said.
Australia will play the winner of France and Jamaica in their first match of the Rugby World Cup Sevens at AT&T Park in San Francisco on Friday July 20, with the winner progressing through to the Championship Quarter-Finals.
Henry Hutchison
DOB: 12/02/1997
Club: Randwick NSW
Australian Sevens debut: Cape Town 2015
Australian Sevens caps: 17
Australian Sevens points: 260 (52 tries)
Representative honours: Australian Schoolboys (2013), Australian U20s (2014 and 2017)
