Australian sevens star Lewis Holland eyes Super Rugby shift after Olympics

Holland made his Super Rugby debut for the Melbourne Rebels this year after border restrictions derailed rugby sevens' globetrotting world series.

Now the 28-year-old could be poised to shift back to the 15-man code after the Tokyo Games, with some Super Rugby clubs desperate to bolster their depth in the back line.

The ACT Brumbies have had a handful of backs poached by rival teams which could open the door for a homecoming for the St Edmund's College product.

Holland locked horns with the Brumbies during his three-game stint with the Rebels this year, which marked the end of a long exile from 15-a-side rugby.

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"Jeez, it had been about five or six years I reckon at least, maybe even longer," Holland said.

"Sevens usually finishes at the back end of the Shute Shield or the John I Dent Cup, so it's either go on holidays or play XVs and you usually take the holiday option.

"With the international borders closing, sevens was put on the backburner pretty quick. It was just good just to go and experience something different, get into another different training environment, hone your skills in the XVs game.

"I'll be better for it if I do end up back in the XVs circle after the Olympics. That's the plan. Hopefully I can get into Super Rugby again after the Olympics, but we'll just have to wait and see."

First on Holland's radar is an Oceania tri-series against New Zealand and Fiji in Townsville this week.

Fiji are the reigning Olympic champions after their success in Rio and New Zealand have dominated the international men's circuit, winning 13 world sevens series titles.

The absence of international competition has rival teams almost flying blind en route to Tokyo which makes a blockbuster weekend at North Queensland Stadium the perfect precursor to Tokyo.

"If we've got any preparation leading into Tokyo, this is the tournament we wanted," Holland said.

"We want to test out where we're at and we come up against the best. We get familiar with how they're playing, how they've adapted over COVID and if they've changed anything.

"The lead in to it has been really beneficial, that we've got neighbouring countries that are so competitive on the world series, the world champions and Olympic gold medallists.

"That can only be a positive for us."

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