FORMER Fiji Bati and Kangaroos utility back Jarryd Hayne has to fight for a spot in the Vodafone national sevens team to the 2016 Olympics in Rio, national coach Ben Ryan said.
Hayne’s inclusion in the national sevens squad followed the San Francisco 49ers announcement of his retirement early yesterday morning.
Ryan and national sevens team official Chris Cracknell left for London moments after Fiji’s match against Samoa in the final of the HSBC Paris 7s in Stade Jean Bouin to meet Hayne.
“He will train with us, he might not play but at the same time we might be missing a player now because of the red card (Apisai Domolailai),” Ryan told The Fiji Times before the Paris 7s final.
“I’ve been talking to him for a while, he is world-class, he wants to get here and have a go.
“We’ve got nothing to lose. We get him on our team, he is on form and if he doesn’t get in, it shows how good our team is.”
Hayne’s inclusion is part of Ryan’s contingency plan to have a pool of talent to select from when the need arises.
“What happens if Oscar (Kolinisau) or Vatemo (Ravouvou) gets injured and we have to take them out of Rio,” Ryan said.
“We need to see who else we’ve got. It’s just about me having plan A, plan B and plan C. The public of Fiji will ask — who else has Ben got if that (injuries) happens and I need to have plans.”
If Hayne plays, it will either be as a winger or rover.
