Wallaroos flyer Maya Stewart and Bathurst junior Cooper Watters are in line to make their Rugby Sevens debuts in Singapore after being included in 13-player squads for the third round of the HSBC SVNS world series on January 31.
Stewart, the all-time leading Wallaroos try-scorer, has been training with the Australian Women’s Sevens squad since returning from the Rugby World Cup in October.
Watch every match of the HSBC SVNS world series live and on-demand, exclusively on Stan Sport.
The Nelson Bay product can follow the likes of Shannon Parry and Sharni Smale in successfully transitioning from XVs rugby to the Sevens format.
Stewart is one of five changes to the women’s squad that won the HSBC SVNS title in Cape Town last month.
Sidney Taylor makes a long-awaited comeback after being sidelined for the whole of 2025 due to an ACL injury suffered following the Paris Olympics.
Playmaker Tia Hinds joins Sariah Paki and Kaitlin Shave in returning to the side with Kahli Henwood (ankle) and Mackenzie Davis (quad) out with minor concerns.
Australia Women’s Sevens coach Tim Walsh said: “We have a healthy program full of in form and available players and our performance staff have prepared and treated players to optimise availability.
“We have strong momentum coming off a satisfying tournament win in Cape Town and aim to continue our growth while staying on course with our short, medium and long-term strategy.
“The inclusion of debutant Maya Stewart provides finishing expertise and a mature ruthless edge. Debuts are earned and very special for the whole team.
“We will approach Singapore in moments with a staunch focus on our immediate opposition before switching attention to Perth the following week.”
Meanwhile, the Australian Men’s side have made one change to their squad for the Singapore tournament with Watters coming in for Beau Morrison (knee).
Watters, 19, has represented the NSW Waratahs and Australian Schoolboys in recent years, along with the Australia Under 20s which toured South Africa and Italy recently.
The Bathurst local moved to Sydney recently to link with the Australian Sevens squad, while he plays senior club rugby with Eastern Suburbs.
The remaining men's squad features three players who made their debuts before Christmas while a further two players have less than three tournaments of experience under their belt.
Senior players Maurice Longbottom (hamstring), James Turner (foot) and Michael Icely (shoulder) remain sidelined for the side.
Australia Men’s coach Liam Barry said: “It’s exciting to see a young group grow from their Dubai and Cape Town experience.
“We’ve had a longer turnaround ahead of this round and have been able to send some of our guys to the Coral Coast 7s earlier this month in Fiji which was a great opportunity for them.
“Cooper Watters is a hard-working young man who has come through the under 20s system and could make his debut this weekend which is a fantastic opportunity for him to travel with the group.
“The players have been training really well, we just want to see some consistency in our games and growth overall.”
Australia’s Men will meet Argentina, France and New Zealand in the pool stages while the Aussie Women clash with Fiji, Japan and USA.
The Singapore event will be the final scheduled before the Australians prepare to host the series in Perth on February 7-8.
Tickets to HSBC SVNS Perth are available at www.ticketmaster.com.au/svns
Australia Women’s Sevens team for 2025/2026 HSBC SVNS Singapore:
3. Faith Nathan – 34 events
5. Teagan Levi – 27 events
6. Madison Ashby (c) – 27 events
8. Kaitlin Shave – 9 events
9. Tia Hinds – 21 events
10. Isabella Nasser (c) – 19 events
12. Maddison Levi – 28 events
13. Heidi Dennis – 8 events
21. Maya Stewart* - debut
22. Bienne Terita – 18 events
23. Ruby Nicholas – 12 events
65. Sariah Paki – 36 events
98. Sidney Taylor – 4 events
Australia Men's Sevens team for 2025/2026 HSBC SVNS Singapore:
1. Henry Hutchison (c) – 61 events
2. Ben Dowling – 22 events
3. James McGregor – 4 events
4. Dietrich Roache – 30 events
7. Josh Turner – 39 events
9. Will Cartwright – 2 events
10. Ben Dalton – 11 events
13. Jayden Blake – 8 events
21. Cooper Watters* – debut
23. Aden Ekanayake – 9 events
24. Ethan McFarland – 2 events
33. Harry Wilson – 2 events
77. Wallace Charlie – 3 events
*Denotes possible debut
Players unavailable for selection
- Charlotte Caslick (calf) – Vancouver 7s
- Mackenzie Davis (quad) – Perth 7s
- Kahli Henwood (ankle) – Perth 7s
- Demi Kennewell (knee) – Vancouver 7s
- Michael Icely (shoulder) – Vancouver 7s
- Alysia Lefau-Fakaosilea (shoulder) – Vancouver 7s
- Maurice Longbottom (hamstring) – Vancouver 7s
- Beau Morrison (knee) – TBC
- Henry Paterson (knee) – 2026/2027 season
- James Turner (foot) – Vancouver 7s
HSBC SVNS WORLD SERIES SINGAPORE
AUSTRALIA WOMEN
- Saturday, January 31: Australia v Fiji (2:26pm AEDT)
- Saturday, January 31: Australia v Japan (5:52pm AEDT)
- Saturday, January 31: Australia v USA (9:18pm AEDT)
AUSTRALIA MEN
- Saturday, January 31: Australia v Argentina (3:10pm AEDT)
- Saturday, January 31: Australia v France (6:14pm AEDT)
- Saturday, January 31: Australia v New Zealand (9:40pm AEDT)
HSBC SVNS WORLD SERIES 2025/2026
- Dubai (29-30 November, 2025)
- Cape Town (6-7 December, 2025)
- Singapore (31 January-1 February, 2026)
- Perth (7-8 February, 2026)
- Vancouver (7-8 March, 2026)
- New York (14-15 March, 2026)
HSBC SVNS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 2026
- Hong Kong (17-19 April, 2026)
- Valladolid (29-31 May, 2026)
- Bordeaux (5-7 June, 2026)
