A host of Australian Institute of Sport athletes have been selected in the 12-strong Australian rugby sevens team for the 2010 Commonwealth Games which start in Delhi from 3 October.

AIS scholarship holders Robbie Coleman, Bernard Foley, Liam Gill, Pat McCutcheon, Nick Phipps, Kimami Sitauti and James Stannard have been named in the squad, which also includes Nick Cummins, Pat McCabe, Luke Morahan, Brian Sefanaia and Lachie Turner.

NSW Waratahs player McCutcheon has been named captain while Turner (NSW Waratahs and Australian Wallabies), McCabe (ACT Brumbies), Cummins (Western Force) and Morahan (Queensland Reds) will be making their debut for the Australian sevens side at the Commonwealth Games.  

Australia has been drawn to play England, Namibia and Sri Lanka in pool D. The top two nations in overall points will then advance through to the finals.

Australia will be among strong medal contenders and looking to improve on the bronze medal it won at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, when rugby sevens was first introduced to the competition.  

Head coach of the AIS/Australian Rugby Sevens team Michael O’Connor is confident that the squad, which won the London Sevens tournament in May, will perform strongly at the Commonwealth Games.

‘Three quarters of this squad is from this year’s Sevens Series and they’ve tasted good success, they’ve got good experience and solid combinations,’ O’Connor said.

‘I’ve been able to keep the nucleus of the team together and the four that have come in have been brought in to enhance the side.

‘I think they’ve got the attributes which tick all of the right boxes.’

The squad is training hard in preparation for the Games which includes playing a match against the current world champions, Samoa in Darwin shortly before the Games.