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New Wallaroos coach Jay Tregonning is open to working with the Sevens program and even other football codes to boost Australia's Rugby World Cup hopes.
Incoming coach Jay Tregonning is open to working with the Australian Sevens program and his Wallaroos players topping up in other codes as they prepare for next year's Rugby World Cup.
Tregonning was the Wallaroos' assistant coach at the 2014 World Cup but reluctantly had to step away from the program as he also juggled the demands of his school teaching career and young family.
That history, as well as recent experience with the Australian Schools team who famously beat New Zealand Schools in 2019, made the Wollongong-based coach an easy choice to replace Dwayne Nestor.
Nestor and his assistant Matt Tink resigned after unsavoury comments made during the Super W competition about referees and players were accidentally uploaded to a portal heard by players and staff.
With the World Cup in New Zealand kicking off next year on October 8, Tregonning's first priority is securing games with the women's national team starved of Test rugby since 2019 due to COVID-19 cancellations.
While the Wallaroos' tour of New Zealand in September was cancelled, they are still hopeful of playing an international this year or at least having some training camps.
"I know Rugby Australia are working hard to get them as much game time as we can fit in in the current circumstances," Tregonning told AAP.
"My main focus will be trying to get the team to gel together."
He hoped Super W would run a full competition next year while he said he had no issue with his players signing on for the NRLW, which itself has been pushed back to the start of 2022.
"In the long term girls might have to make a decision but at this stage, where it's only for short periods of time I'm fully supportive of girls playing within those different programs," Tregonning said.
"We don't want to lose them to different sports but if we can balance them playing I don't think it would be detrimental to us at all.
"If they want to pursue some time playing within the NRLW, or even in the AFLW, essentially being involved in a program is going to be beneficial for the girls."
Tregonning said he would also seek a meeting with Olympic Sevens coach John Manenti.
"There are some girls in that program who have a background in 15-a-side rugby so I'd like to have a good, open dialogue with John about trying to make both programs as successful as possible and sharing ideas and sharing resources where we can."
