Australia Sevens rookie Jayden Blake is ready to fight for a consistent spot on the squad, just like he fought to make a number of try-saving tackles in Perth.
Blake has been one of the impressive finds of the 2024-25 SVNS competition after a late-night call delivered him a debut in Cape Town.
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“I went over to Dubai and didn’t play, so I came back to Sydney as the boys went to Cape Town. I think it was nine o'clock that night I had Scotty (Bowen) and our physio ring me and asked if I was all sweet and if I could get on a 9 am flight," Blake told Rugby.com.au
“It was all pretty quick. But once I got over there, I was just keen to get out there and play a bit of footy.”
“...It was awesome. I think initially, it just kind of happened so quick, so I didn't really get to soak it all in."
Since then, Blake has been a big contributor under coach Liam Barry thanks to his never-give-up attitude.
On their road to the Final, he made several big one-on-one tackles, including a fingertips effort against South Africa in the semi-final, which helped Australia advance to the decider
"I was pretty gassed, so I don't know if I heard completely how loud it was," he said on his South Africa tackle.
“It wasn't just me; it was all the boys putting in the effort. It was a pretty special semi-final with ‘Dos’ (Aden Ekanayake) scoring to get us into the Final.”
The Dubbo product is proud of his growth, having moved to Sydney to follow his Rugby dream.
He caught the eye of the Sevens program after helping Randwick to a Shute Shield title in 2023, leading to him representing Australia in front of his friends and family.
“Being a country boy and being able to come through and put on the jersey is something I'm very proud of," he added.
“I came through Randwick and the Colts system so I was lucky enough to be around some of the Tahs programs for a bit and then take out that Shute Shield premiership
“It's very special for all of my family.”
