With the HSBC SVNS 2026/2027 series fast approaching, the next generation of seven stars for Australia they have their eyes firmly set on automatic qualification for the 2028 LA Olympics and securing the elusive Olympic medal.
McKenzie Davis, 21, Amahlia Hala, 20, and Rhani Hagan, 20, names we’ve seen thrown around in recent years, have been touted as the next batch of Aussie 7 talent to form the backbone of the group heading to LA 2028. The three young guns are set to light up the scene two years from now.
Davis had a rapid rise through touch football, and when she reflected on what it meant to make her debut for Australia in 2024, she felt like she was “thrown in at the deep end and didn’t quite believe it because it really was a dream come true”. The honor of playing alongside the women she has looked up to for so long, as well as the opportunity to represent her family, was special.
Hala, on the other hand, first started playing 7 when she was 11 years old. “Will” by her rugby family, she donned her trademark headgear and, being the smallest on the field, turned it on. After an 8-year journey, her country’s debut in Hong Kong 2025 was “special because you see the years of hard work and sacrifice all pay off”. Pulling on the Australian jersey for her family and her country carried significant weight and killed two birds with one stone for Hala – to see the world and play the sport she loved!
Hagan, the youngest of the three, has yet to have the honor bestowed upon her on the international stage, but if she had to pick a destination 7 for her debut, she couldn’t go past the “Perth 7’s”. “Perth would be special to debut because I would have all my family there. Although my parents would choose New York to debut, I’m sure.”
Hagan, a proud Quandamook and Kullilli woman, moved from her hometown of Ipswich, Queensland, to Sydney’s eastern suburbs in January this year after impressive spells for the Aus A and Next Gen 7 teams. Although the youngster didn’t think too much about her debut and what it would mean for her and her family, she “felt honored to have faith in me, with big shoes to fill and working closely with Reg and Park to build of my confidence” after re-signing through the 2028 LA Olympics without playing a single World Series game.
I vividly remember my 2014/2015 Olympic qualification season, one of the most exciting years of my seven-year career. The stakes, the pressure, the excitement and the sheer relief that came with booking your team’s ticket to the Olympics. Davis can’t quite believe that he is now in a position to help his team struggling to qualify. “It’s hit us now that we’ve come back from preseason, which is a big thing this year. I’ve always looked up to the girls in the program, and the Olympics is the pinnacle, a huge advantage of playing the sport and a big part of why we do it.”
While they all admit they don’t want to get ahead of themselves, they allow themselves the opportunity to dream big and work to hunt for gold in LA (2028). Davis states, “everyone is aware but the priority is to put ourselves in the best possible position for Dubai this year, although I have visualized the moment and that motivates me to want to do it with the girls we have and we are working hard to deliver”.
Hala thinks about it and wonders “how cool that would be” and often uses that thought as visual motivation. Hagan sees the Olympic dream as an epic byproduct of wanting to change where her life was headed. She wanted a change from her touch football bubble, to move away from home, to experience adulthood and to be able to travel the world.
Well, hasn’t she found the right sport for it.
After seeing limited minutes on the court last season, Hala and Davis are now in fantastic positions to push for more game time this 2026/2027 season following changes to the Australian Women’s 7s roster, the appointment of a new head coach in Reg Taylor and the individual pre-season experiences of Ultimate 7’s Taiyo Seime’s 7 in-season Japan for both.
Hala has been purposeful in his offseason activities, wanting to “build more confidence and learn to play ball at a higher level and really dominate it.” Her involvement with the Nagato Blue Angels allowed her “time to focus on individual skills and put them into practice, with consistency of playing time being of great benefit.” It was a big undertaking for her to get to know the type of player she wants to become.
On the other side of the world, Davis was a shining light for Clan Taran who reached the final in Rd 2 of the Ultimate Sevens in Biarritz. Her light feet and quick turn of the beat out of bounds are the strengths she possesses best in the game of 7s. At the elite level, playing time isn’t guaranteed, and the uncertainty sometimes dented her confidence, so Davis really wanted to “take advantage of whatever I could get in the off-season. Rugby was going to be fun again, confidence as a player is huge and I believe I’m set up for success with these experiences – ready to learn and grow.”
Davis, Hala and Hagan recently got a taste of preseason time with a thrilling showdown against fierce rivals New Zealand at Kick on 7’s and the quadruple header at the Accor Stadium. Although not a limited event, it was the first time Hagan had donned the senior gold jersey with her last name and number on the back. The girl didn’t shy away from the opportunity at hand, taking on some of the best in the world with her brilliant ball skills, sharp vision and enthusiasm. Interviewing her after the game was a delight – her bright smile and wide eyes were the hallmarks of a young woman who had a taste for big games and big occasions.
Based on their history, the Aussies Women 7 will be more than confident of automatically booking a place for LA 2028, with the top 4 from the HSBC SVNS World Series earning their place through to LA 2028 at the end of this upcoming season. Australian women have never qualified this way and that’s commendable, as the stakes are so high and competitive in the Oceania region. Having personally secured automatic Olympic qualification in 2015 and 2019, it is an incredible feeling to know that you are part of the journey towards making the Olympic dream a reality.
The talented trio are also keenly aware that the dream sometimes doesn’t become reality with the Australian Women’s Weeks missing out on podium places in the last two Olympic cycles. Although not directly involved, they have taken some key lessons individually from their current teammates. Hala notes that her biggest takeaway was “on the biggest stages you have to show up and as women’s rugby grows, you have to have depth in your team to be the best in the game” Davis sees it as “a privilege to learn from the older girls in the team and a huge responsibility to take those lessons and be better at it”.
With a new head coach at the helm and a full-back change in the roster, the three are excited about the future of the Australian Women’s 7s program, although they are a little coy about their ambitions. Getting back into the gold jersey on a regular basis or donning it for the first time on the track are the next big stepping stones for these three women.
The job of automatic qualification and the hope of being selected for the Olympics, especially one the size of LA 2028, makes Davis weep at the thought. “The fear, the hard work, the uncertainty. It would all be worth it.” This young group should be applauded for daring to dream big, and while there is still a long way to go, the bright lights of LA and the lure of an Olympic medal shine brightly in their eyes.
