‘It’s unfair’: Mat Rogers casts doubt on Maddison Levi’s World Cup dream

Dual international Mat Rogers believes it’s more realistic for HSBC SVNS Series phenomenon Maddison Levi to target the 2029 Rugby World Cup, rather than this year’s tournament in England, which starts on August 22.

National coach Jo Yapp fielded questions for 20 minutes on Tuesday after the Wallaroos named a 40-player extended training squad for a camp in Canberra. Yapp spent a fair chunk of that press conference talking about sevens stars who weren’t selected, including Levi.

Levi is the reigning World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year, with the try-scoring machine scoring with every second touch on average. At recent events on the Series in Hong Kong China and Singapore, the two-time Olympian continued to set a high standard by scoring tries for fun.

Rugby Australia announced last December that Levi was one of nine sevens stars eager to play in Super Rugby Women’s ahead of the World Cup. Unfortunately for Levi, a hand injury meant that it wasn’t possible, with the 22-year-old still yet to play 15s at any level.

Levi is considered a generational sporting talent in Australia, having already played AFLW for the Gold Coast Suns and reportedly attracting interest from NRLW clubs, but a late call-up to the Wallaroos ahead of the World Cup would be “unfair” as Rogers explained.

“I don’t think she can (get up to speed in 15s before the World Cup). I don’t think she can in the time. She’s not going to have enough game time, it’s just unfair,” Rogers said on Stan Sport’s Inside Line.

“It’s unfair on her and it’s unfair on the squad to throw her in there and expect her to be the world beater that she is in sevens in 15s. It’s too much pressure.

“She broke her thumb earlier in the year and has been out. It’s unfair to have that expectation on her.

“I think this is one that’s through an unfortunate set of circumstances is going to get away and 2029 is the one that has to be focused on.”

Coach Yapp has selected a trio of Australia Sevens athletes in the 40-woman squad, headline by three-time Olympian Charlotte Caslick. Bienne Terita was selected, and so was Tia Hinds who captained the Aussie Sevens side at Singapore’s National Stadium a few weeks ago.

Teagan Levi, Isabella Nasser, Kahli Henwood, Sariah Paki and Demi Hayes complete the nine-player list of sevens players who committed to Super Rugby clubs. Yapp didn’t rule out calling some of these players into Wallaroos camp after the SVNS Series World Championship.

Levi is expected to suit up for Australia at the winner-takes-all event at Los Angeles’s Dignity Health Sports Park, where the overall SVNS Series champions will be crowned. That high-stakes event takes place the same weekend as the Wallaroos’ season-opener away to Fiji.

Australia will also take on New Zealand, USA, Canada and Wales in Test matches before flying to the United Kingdom for the showpiece event. But still, Rogers doubled down, even saying it would even be a risk for Levi to go play club rugby at a lower level.

“It’s a difficult situation,” Rogers added.

“I’m speaking from Maddi’s perspective, just purely out of care for her, I don’t want to see her set up to fail and I think that’s what’s happening if they pursue it further this year.

“… Through injury and circumstance, it’s going to be tough this year.”