After returning from injury to help spearhead her side to the World Championship in Clermont last month, Australian Women’s Rugby Sevens Co-Captain Sharni Williams says her preparations for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro have actually been boosted by her serious knee injury.
Williams, who alongside fellow Captain Shannon Parry will lead the Australian side to Rio as one of the Gold Medal favourites, suffered the injury in Dubai in the opening tournament of the 2015-2016 World Series in December. The 28-year-old had the first operation of her career as surgeons repaired the patellofemoral ligament in her knee, putting her out of action for six months, however speaking with RUPA she says she has benefited from digging deep.
“It’s certainly been a bit of a rollercoaster this year,” Williams admitted. “I’ve never had a big injury like this before, so I had to learn how to cope with it. Uncovering things from a mental perspective was certainly a challenge, but I have no doubt that my new-found mental toughness has definitely helped me prepare for Rio.”
Williams, who prior to being injured in Dubai had played in every World Series tournament since its inception in November 2012, continued to work hard towards her goal of returning to action before the end of the season this time around. That dream was realised in France last month, and with it the dream that came with lifting the trophy alongside Parry as Australia's first ever Rugby Sevens World Champions, male or female!
“How good is it to be a World Champion,” she beams. “For myself, having the opportunity to play in Dubai and Clermont was awesome to be a part of, and it was indescribable to be back with the girls on the pitch when we sealed the title.
“I started the job of the World Series in Dubai and I wanted to be a part of finishing it as well,” she continued. “I felt that I had done everything I could in rehab and Walshy (Head Coach Tim Walsh) wanted to give me an opportunity to get out there and get some real confidence in the knee, and really back myself to play some footy before Rio. It’s really worked out well.”
Despite her positivity now, Williams admits that when she first suffered the injury her outlook wasn’t quite so sunny.
“When I was actually lying on the ground in Dubai after it happened against England, I definitely though the worst; that my dream had been taken away from me. From there however, I decided to regroup and then I took on the positive side of things.
“I simply thought there’s no way I am not getting on that plane, I want a spot in this team for Rio and I will do anything in my power to get back and that’s what I did. I had the option of whether or not to go for surgery but I chose to go with it so that I would come back stronger. That’s definitely paid off and I am happy with my choice.
“The support staff definitely have helped me a lot. First it was Physio Mick Moran and then Claire McGann came on board and really helped me with my recovery. Simon Harries, our Head of Performance Science & Rehab, has taught me how to run again and kept my mood positive which had a flow-on effect on my recovery. The good thing about having such an outstanding rehab program in place is that you have staff who have encountered these injuries before, and they give you the confidence to get back out on the pitch.”
While she was out of the game, Williams saw Parry lead the side to tournament wins in Dubai, Sao Paulo and Atlanta, and she relished the opportunity to lead alongside her in Clermont.
‘We’ve been playing Rugby together for a long time now; we debuted together first at the Women’s’ Rugby World Cup in 2010, and we have a very tight bond,” she said. “People like to call us the Banger Sisters or the Bash Brothers, we feed off each other really well and she’s my roommate too.
“When Walshy and (Team Manager) Scott (Bowen) made the decision that we could share the Captaincy, it meant I could focus on my injury rather than worry too much about leading the side. Shannon and I bounce off each other really well; she has definitely led by example and got the girls to where we are now, and done an amazing job.”
Now the focus is entirely on the Olympic Games, kicking off in approximately 50 days, and Williams says competition amongst the 20-player squad remains fierce.
“It’s tough that we can only take twelve players,” Williams says. “Every time we train we want to be competitive and be the very best that we can be out there on that paddock and we really push the limits of each other and try and make each other the best player we can be.
“As you can see by us having three players in the tournament Dream Team (Parry, Charlotte Caslick and Emma Tonegato), it is testament to the whole squad pushing each other. There will be some sad faces when the squad gets named but that support for one another will remain. We are definitely one team going over there to do a job and win Gold on behalf of everybody, and we’re all on board – one team, one dream!”
