In short:
The Australian women’s rugby sevens team for the Paris Olympics has been announced.
Captain Charlotte Caslick, and Sharni Smale will head to their third Games.
What’s next?
Rugby sevens kicks off in Paris on July 24, two days before the opening ceremony.
“Non, je ne regrette rien.”
Edith Piaf’s classic French song from 1960, translated as ‘No, I do not regret anything’, isn’t one usually associated with sporting triumph.
But the Australian women’s rugby sevens team has adopted it as its anthem for the Paris Olympics.
“It’s the no regret campaign, so we want to be all in,” coach Tim Walsh said.
“We want to prepare so well that no matter the outcome, no matter the result, that we’re walking off that field without any regret.”
After winning gold in the sport’s Olympic debut in Rio 2016, the Australian women stumbled in Tokyo, losing in the quarterfinals.
They’ve roared back to form since then, and last month they claimed the World Series title, after winning the final leg in Madrid, including a statement-making semifinal win over fellow gold medal favourite New Zealand.
The squad for Paris features Rio gold medallists Charlotte Caslick and Sharni Smale, as well as sisters Teagan and Maddison Levi, with a total of five debutants.
And the high expectations that come with being on top of the world are welcomed.
“If you’re expected to win, it means you’ve been winning, and that’s what we try and do,” Walsh said.
“We have got some really good results over the last few years in winning World Cups and Comm Games, and the World Series a couple of times, so we’re really proud of that.
“But it’s about the future, it’s about the Olympics, but it certainly gives you an instilled confidence that you know how to win.”
It’s a sentiment shared by captain Caslick.
“We know we’re going in with New Zealand as the top two that people are looking at as favourites,” she said.
“We’re excited and we hope that we get to put out a good performance and I think this group just really deserves to do well after the last few years.
“I think they’re more than capable of it.”
ABC Sport will be live blogging every day of the Paris Olympics from July 27
Assistant coach Barton helping pull the strings
Emilee Barton (née Cherry) was part of the champion team in Rio and was amongst the best players in the world during her playing career.
She retired after having two children and joined the team as an assistant coach in 2022.
“It was always something that I was very interested in,” Barton said.
“I’ve got a teaching background and love being able to be a part of this group still and continue to grow the game.”
Walsh coached Barton throughout her career and knew he wanted to keep her involved in the sport.
“You look at the wealth of experience that Emilee has as a player in the way that she broke apart a game and she structured the game and the way she handled pressure, the way that she was composed on the field,” Walsh said.
“I wanted to try and enhance that.
“And then it brings diversity to our program, but also not losing her out of the game.
“She sees things in a different way to what I do and then she brings this really successful world’s best player insight into the team.”
The players agree.
“She’s such a great inspiration, knowing her that she won the Olympics in 2016,” Sariah Paki said.
“It’s so good to look up to in our team as especially as a coach to help support us, because she knows what we’re going through each step of the way.”
“She’s the world’s best centre in rugby sevens,” Faith Nathan added.
“I think just going to her and [getting] information like how do I become better analysing teams.”
Only nine per cent of head coaches in high-performance sport in Australia are women.
Barton was the first female to join the Australian women’s sevens coaching set-up and is a part of the AIS’ Gen32 program, which aims to develop coaches on the pathway to Brisbane 2032.
“Any high-performance sports environment is really tough, particularly in the sevens field, we travel a lot, having a really young family that puts a lot of strain on my support network,” Barton said.
“But I’m so lucky to have such a supportive husband and family. And it’s pretty incredible to have these now young girls looking up to role models.
“And to be coming into this environment and seeing just how hard they work and just such beautiful people as well to be around, I think it’s very lucky that we get to be immersed, not just myself, but my family as well, in this environment.”
While Barton is unsure of her long-term coaching goals, for the moment, Paris is the priority.
“[I’ll be] imparting my little words of wisdom on these players, being able to perform under pressure is a really big focus of ours,” she said.
“I’ve just got such confidence in them and belief in them. And I’m just trying to help them believe that as well to be able to then go perform in Paris.”
