Toole ready to make a difference in Paris

Sevens star Corey Toole hopes his return to the programme can make the difference ahead of a potentially special month for the Brumby.

The 24-year-old made his name in the shortened format after the Tokyo Olympics, helping Australia to the 2021-22 world title, which was eventually picked up by the Brumbies.

Watch every match of the Rugby Sevens at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Stan Sport

After 17 tries in his first two seasons he was ready for a call-up to the Wallabies, but after discussions with Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt he made the short detour to the Rugby Championship.

“I spoke to Joe (Schmidt) a few weeks ago and he said the Olympics are the pinnacle of rugby this year. It was a good conversation so I’m really excited to be there and go to Paris,” he explained to the media.

“Hopefully we can put in a good performance there, bring back a medal and play good football.

“We have a great group of guys here and a coaching staff that has helped me get started. Obviously I haven’t played for a while, but with the coaches and players around me, I hope I can hit the ground running.

“…The 2021-22 season was unreal and it was a pretty successful year in terms of winning the World Series. I think most of the guys have stayed for the last three years and they’re a good group and hopefully we can work well together in Paris.”

Filipo Daugunu’s red card during Saturday’s win over Georgia opens the door for Toole to make an immediate debut for the Wallabies team, if Schmidt so desires.

Schmidt will name his Rugby Championship squad in two weeks’ time ahead of the September 10 season opener against the Springboks, while Toole remains focused on Paris.

“It’s a possibility, but there are no guarantees. We’ll just have to wait and see,” Toole said.

“I am fully focused on the Olympic Games and the Sevens team.”

Captain Nick Malouf was delighted to have Toole and his speed back as they looked to field one of the fastest men in Australian sport.

“We saw what Corey could do for us on the Sevens field in the year we won in 2021-22 and we saw a lot of glimpses of that during Super Rugby and he has bounced back perfectly,” Malouf told Rugby.com.au

“He’s such a weapon with his speed, so we’ve tried to get him into positions where he can unlock that for us. It’s as much about us getting reacquainted with his style of play as it is with us, so the more we can give him the opportunity to use his pace the better.