![Kiama Sevens director Mark Bryant with Olympic Sevens player Demi Hayes and former Wallaby and now rugby commentator Morgan Turinui, launched the Kiama Sevens tournament. Picture by Robert Peet Kiama Sevens director Mark Bryant with Olympic Sevens player Demi Hayes and former Wallaby and now rugby commentator Morgan Turinui, launched the Kiama Sevens tournament. Picture by Robert Peet](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/kZL4qV6yTxfrWZJxKQxjSN/07f29c80-6809-42b7-969b-7c7dd05ca526.JPG/r0_365_5472_3454_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Wallaby great Morgan Turinui believes running tournaments like the Kiama Sevens has never been as relevant and as important to securing the future of rugby.
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Turinui, who nowadays works as a rugby commentator for Channel 9 and Stan Sports, dropped by Kiama on Friday to help launch the 52nd edition of the annual event.
Olympic Sevens player Demi Hayes was also in attendance to spruik this year's Kiama Sevens tournament at Kiama Showground on Saturday, February 24.
Some 44 teams from all over Australia, including Illawarra outfits Vikings, Kiama and Shoalhaven will participate in the popular tournament which has over $30,000 in prizes and trophies up for grabs in 2024.
"I think this has never been more relevant,"Turnui said of the Kiama Sevens tournament.
"In the last few years, especially in Sydney teams have realised how important it is for their preseason. It's vital for their fitness, good work for their core skills and it's fun.
"Coming down here there is lots of different teams and the social aspect is also really important.
"I think a thing like the Kiama Sevens has never been more relevant. I'd love us to get back to the old days where there was a full Sevens circuit through the summer."
The 42-year-old Turinui, who played Super Rugby for the NSW Waratahs (65 games) and Queensland Reds (11), as well as 20 full internationals for Australia, spoke to the Mercury about a range of issues, from the Wallabies dismal World Cup campaign to the introduction of new tackle rules set to shake up rugby.
Trial starts from February where legal height of tackles in the game lowered to below the sternum.
Rugby Australia confirmed recently that it will implement a new trial that will see the legal height of tackles in the game lowered to below the sternum from February.
The trial is designed to reduce the risk of head-to-head and head-to-shoulder contact between ball carriers and tacklers.
'I think we've probably had to make this move for safety reasons," Turinui said.
"The sternum and above is sort of the red zone for tackling, it's dangerous.
"Sternum to waste is the green zone, the safest place, and then it's almost orange under the waist, where you can still cop a knee to the head and things like that.
"I think they had to do something to be seen to making the game safe. They've done it at community level, not professional, which is quite logical.
"It's probably five centimetres lower than it has been, which is pretty much armpits, really for kids. And if it's making kids dip in the tackle, it's a good habit to get into.
"After that there's going to be some issues [around policing changes]. There'll be teething problems around referees. They've probably got the hardest job.
"It will be interesting to see how they manage it, you can see lots of penalties early, which is understandable, but if we can change the habits of kids learning the game to tackle a bit lower, I think it's probably a good thing.
"I think it will take players a bit of time to adapt as well.
"We've been practising at training, I train my kids, I also do some coaching for adults.
"It's just old habits, and especially where the ball is such an important part of the game. Tackling the ball and stopping the ball is right around where it is legal/illegal, so that's the hard bit, do you have to tackle under the ball, yes, but even the second guy coming in is struggling to do it legally, to stop the ball."
Where to now for struggling Wallabies?
Turinui said the only positives to come from the Wallabies disappointing showing at the Rugby World Cup in France was it was now a new season and Australia had chosen a good coach to guide them forward.
"The only positive is there's another season we're going to start again," he said.
"The World Cup was really disappointing.
"Stan have obviously got their documentary coming out on the Wallabies on the 22nd of February, so people will maybe get to get a bit of closure from that, and then Super Rugby starts.
"The Wallabies also have a new coach [Joe Schmidt], an excellent coach - a really logical appointment to have the best available coach coach the Wallabies. I think he will do a good job.
"I'd love to see our Super teams have some more wins against our Kiwi teams and at least one or two go deep into Super.
"Then we've got lots of great exciting Test matches this year. Two Tests against the world champions [South Africa] and I can see us winning one, perhaps the one in Brisbane.
"Imagine, you know you have a really poor World Cup and come August, you've beaten the world champions.
"So the great thing about footy and sport is you can turn it around quickly. How we get to consistently performing well, that's the hard job we've got."