10 May 2017: Olympic gold medalist Sharni Williams and her Australian rugby sevens teammate Brooke Anderson will lead the University of Canberra in this year’s inaugural Uni 7s Series.
Williams and Anderson were announced today as the University’s two marquee players for the 2017 campaign, which will kick off in August.
The University of Canberra is one of eight Australian universities set to contest the first women’s domestic sevens competition, which aims to propel the sport further into the spotlight following Australia’s historic gold medal victory at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Williams played a key role in the triumph, co-captaining the side which was crowned the first ever Olympic women’s rugby sevens champions.
The 29-year-old, who calls Canberra home, said it was a privilege to be representing the University of Canberra in the inaugural Uni 7s Series.
“This competition is a huge step forward for women’s rugby sevens,” Williams said. “To be combining the professional and grassroots levels of the game is only going to be beneficial for our game.
“To have the University of Canberra jump on board is great. It’s going to give local players the opportunity to play in a high-quality tournament and assist them in chasing their dreams of playing professionally.”
Williams and Anderson will form the cornerstone of the University’s squad, with the remaining members of the side to be selected from Canberra’s local competition.
Williams hails from Batlow in country New South Wales and moved to Canberra when she was 17. She started playing rugby at age 20, cutting her teeth in the local 15-a-side competition with the Canberra Royals Rugby Union Club before being selected to play for Australia after just seven games.
In 2012, Williams made her debut for the national women’s sevens team and hasn’t looked back.
She said representing the University of Canberra would give her an opportunity to give back to the city that sparked her love of rugby.
“It’s a good way to be able to show my support for Canberra rugby,” she said. “Canberra gave me the opportunity to play. I’ll never forget that and I think this competition is a good chance to show my appreciation for the opportunities it has given me.”
Anderson, 21, made her national sevens debut in 2013. She co-captained Australia’s junior side during its gold medal-winning campaign at the Youth Olympics in Nanjing the following year and was part of the senior side’s campaign at the Pacific Games in 2015 – at which it finished runner-up.
University of Canberra Union Chief Executive Officer Joe Roff said Williams and Anderson were the ideal players to build the University’s side around.
“We have signed two exceptional players in Sharni and Brooke,” Roff said. “Both women have experience at the highest level of the game and are proven performers.
“They have big game experience and have helped develop a winning culture in Australia’s national set-up. We have a strong pool of local players to choose from and Sharni and Brooke will be great mentors to those women.”
The University of Canberra will appoint its head coach in the coming weeks.
- Sharni Williams is available for phone interviews. Joe Roff is available for interview.
- Images and audio are available upon request.
Contact the University of Canberra media team:
Antony Perry: 0434 795 919
Claudia Doman: 0408 826 362