Paris 2024 Olympics: Charlotte Caslick, Nicholas Malouf to captain Australian rugby sevens teams - full squads

Two-time Olympians Charlotte Caslick and Nicholas Malouf are set to lead the women’s and men’s Australian rugby sevens teams, respectively at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) have named both rugby sevens squads for Paris 2024 on Wednesday. Each team comprises 12 players.

Along with the two captains, Sharni Smale and Henry Hutchison will also become the first-ever Australian rugby sevens players to feature at three Olympics.

Caslick and Smale were also part of the Australian women’s team which won a gold medal at Rio 2016. At Tokyo 2020, however, they suffered a 14-12 loss to Fiji in the quarter-finals.

Captain Charlotte Caslick is one of World Rugby’s most decorated players, one of only two female players ever to win multiple World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year Awards, Olympic gold, Commonwealth gold, a Rugby World Cup and the World Series.

“I’m really excited to be heading to my third Olympics and cannot wait to play alongside these girls,” Caslick said. “We’ve worked really hard to get to this point where we are chasing a gold medal. I’ve loved every moment of being able to lead these players and we're in a good place to play well.”

The women’s team enters Paris as the reigning World Series champions after a nail-biting victory in the semi-final against New Zealand before defeating France to win last month’s World Series final.

Five women’s players - Bridget Clark, Teagan Levi, Isabella Nasser, Kaitlin Shave and Bienne Terita - will be making their Summer Games debut in Paris. Australia women have been drawn in Pool B where they will face Ireland, Great Britain and South Africa.

The men’s rugby sevens team consists of seven debutants - Ben Dowling, Matthew Gonzalez, Mark Nawaqanitawase, Henry Paterson, Hayden Sargeant, Corey Toole and James Turner.

Meanwhile, Tokyo Olympians Nathan Lawson, Maurice Longbottom and Dietrich Roache return for their second Games.

The men’s team, which reached the quarter-finals at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, has been drawn in Pool B alongside Argentina, Samoa and Kenya.

Joshua Turner, Michael Icely, Kahli Henwood and Sidney Taylor have been named in the reserves. They can be picked as replacement athletes in case of injury or withdrawal of one of the selected athletes.

The rugby sevens competition will be held at the Stade de France. While the men’s competition will be held from July 24 to 27, the women’s events are scheduled between July 28 and 30.

Australia’s Paris 2024 Olympics rugby sevens teams

Australia women’s rugby 7s team: Charlotte Caslick (captain), Sharni Smale, Bridget Clark, Dominique Du Toit, Tia Hinds, Maddison Levi, Teagan Levi, Isabella Nasser, Faith Nathan, Sariah Paki, Kaitlin Shave, Bienne Terita; Reserves: Kahli Henwood, Sidney Taylor

Australia men’s rugby 7s team: Nicholas Malouf (captain), Henry Hutchison, Ben Dowling, Matthew Gonzalez, Nathan Lawson, Maurice Longbottom, Mark Nawaqanitawase, Henry Paterson, Dietrich Roache, Hayden Sargeant, Corey Toole, James Turner; Reserves: Joshua Turner, Michael Icely