The Australian Men’s Sevens team had been in the mix on the Sevens World Series for most of the past decade. 

But major successes were few and far between. 

While our women’s side went from strength to strength, winning Olympic Gold along the way, the men seemed to be missing something.

They weren’t far off though, and they won the Sydney 7s in 2018 when it was last played at Moore Park, but they were still searching for the final few pieces to the puzzle. 

And it may have just taken a global pandemic and a veteran coach with an open mind to find them. 

Former Shute Shield winning coach John Manenti took over the men’s program around the same time the Aussie 7s contracted squad was halved during Covid. 

Rather than finding other professionals to fill his side, Manenti looked to some fertile soil that he knew rather well. 

Club Rugby. 

Since adding some of the Shute Shield and the Hospital Cups best talent to the squad, the Australian men have become a force on the World Series and it’s guys like Warringah’s Ben Marr that have led the turnaround. 

“It’s been an incredible past 12 months and we’ve built a really special group here,” Marr told Rugby News days out from the 2023 Sydney Sevens. 

“Guys like Timmy Clements, Henry Paterson, Matty Gonzales. We all had different sort of journeys but it was similar in the fact that we’d all been playing some decent club footy for a few seasons but struggled to get opportunities. 

“When Johnny (Manenti) took over the men’s program, he obviously keeps a very close eye on the Shute Shield, so that certainly worked in our favour. 

“I think that’s what makes this group so special and so close. Most of us are a bit older and have had to work really hard to get this opportunity and we’re really appreciative of the position we’re now in. 

“We sort of feel like we have a responsibility to perform to all the other club guys out there that haven’t got this chance yet.”

Marr had been one of the Shute Shield’s best for a number of seasons before joining the Sevens program.

After graduating from St Augustine’s, he joined Warringah and played colts in winter and Sevens in summer. 

Still a teenager, Marr played alongside Aussie 7s players Mick Adams and Boyd Killingworth and Shute Shield veterans Hamish Angus and Josh Holmes. 

It’s hard to think of a better introduction to the seven-a-side game. 

But while he had plenty of experience when he finally got the call up to Manenti’s squad at the start of 2022, he still had plenty of work ahead of him. 

“It certainly took a while for my body to get used to the training load. At Warringah, I was probably only training a few times a week whereas now we’re working really hard every day. It took some time for my body to catch up but I think I’m slowly getting there. 

“At the end of the day, it’s easy to put in perspective. This is my job now so getting up to train when my body is sore is what it’s all about. It’s no different to getting up to go to a work site or an office when you’re tired or not feeling 100%.

“The reason professional players are professional is because they turn up every day and be consistent and that’s something I’m learning, getting used to and starting to really love.”

Marr knows plenty about the real world, having worked in insurance for GSA while playing for Warringah and he said that’s also helped him appreciate the position he’s now in. 

“The transition has been made really easy by the group I’ve come into. The boys and the coaches are all really good fellas and we all genuinely enjoy being around each other. 

“Like in any sort of work space, if you enjoy the people you’re working with, everything is a whole lot easier even when things get tough and that’s certainly the case with this group.”

While Marr said his focus was purely on Sevens for now, he didn’t rule out a return to XVs at some stage to chase a Shute Shield premiership with his beloved Warringah Rats. 

But fortunately, he won’t have to look far to find some of his old mates at this weekend’s Sydney 7s. 

“I’m really looking forward to it. Quite a few of the Ratties and a lot of my good mates are heading out there and I think they’ll be in for a big day. They’ll be loud, that’s for sure. 

“It’ll be the same for most of the boys in the team, which is pretty cool and it gives us even more to play for.

Australia face Argentina, Great Britain and Canada in the pool stages of the three-day Sydney 7s starting on Friday. Shute Shield club members can access discounted tickets through their respective clubs.