Australian Sevens rising star Simon Kennewell has been ruled out of the Sydney 7s after rupturing his knee.
Kennewell who has been labeled as a future star of the Sevens circuit and is already a major threat in the side, suffered the injury in training yesterday, just three days out from the 2018 tournament.
It’s not only Sydney that Kennewell will miss, with the 21‑year‑old sidelined for the rest of the 2017‑18 season, including the Commonwealth Games and the World Cup.
Australian coach Andy Friend says it was disappointing news for Kennewell and the entire squad.
Kennewell will be replaced in the squad by Tom Connor, who will make his World Series debut in Sydney this weekend.
Australia faces USA, Canada and Scotland in its pool, opening its tournament on Friday night against the Americans.
Meanwhile Fiji will play their first game against Samoa at 8.28pm this Friday, then Russia in their second game at 5.09pm this Saturday before taking on New Zealand at 8.42pm this Saturday.
The quarterfinals will start at 12.28pm this Sunday, the semifinals are at 6.36pm while the final will kick off at 9.48pm.
Looking at the Women’s competition, the Fijiana will be playing their first game against defending champion Canada at 11.22am on Friday.
