Fiji sevens coach Ben Ryan says Jarryd Hayne has all the attributes to succeed in his new code

FIJI coach Ben Ryan admits selecting Jarryd Hayne is a huge gamble but the Englishman says the cross-code star has all the ingredients to succeed at sevens.

Jarryd Hayne with teammate Osea Kolinisau at training. Picture: Martin Seras Lima

JARRYD Hayne took a significant step closer to realising his Olympic dream on Friday, after Fiji coach Ben Ryan named the former rugby league megastar in his squad of 12 to play in the London Sevens, which starts on Saturday.

The Twickenham event is the last of the 10-stop HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, and after the curtain comes down on Sunday all focus will be on Rio de Janeiro, when the sport makes its Games debut in just over two months.

Hayne, 28, has impressed sufficiently in training since joining up with the reigning HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series champions this week, though he still has much to learn, according to Ryan.

Jarryd Hayne with teammate Osea Kolinisau at training. Picture: Martin Seras Lima

The Englishman, speaking exclusively with The Daily Telegraph, hinted that Hayne has found the practice sessions hard going, but he is willing to give the former Parramatta Eels back a chance to shine.

“This is not a traditional call with Jarryd, but let’s give him a go,” said the 44-year-old who took over as Fiji coach in 2013 and looks destined to lead the country to a maiden Olympic medal – probably gold – in August. “As I like to say, you don’t know what you don’t know.”

“His attributes are obvious, and on the ball Jarryd is fantastic. You can see that he is a lovely footballer, and he has that ingredient which we all want in players, which is time on the ball. He reminds me a bit of Henry Paul playing sevens; people can work around him and create space.”

Ryan was discussing Hayne’s inclusion after a Fiji training session at Rosslyn Park, in west London, as his latest recruit was undergoing an extra session so he could better understand the nuances of sevens.

“Look at him there, he is being taught the breakdown,” continued Ryan, pointing to Hayne, who expressed his interest in joining Fiji from National American football giants The San Francisco 49ers back in February, when the pair met at the Sydney Sevens.

“We don’t have many breakdowns in sevens, but there are a whole load of things he needs to learn. His whole body is hurting, he is learning new skills and he is coming in to a tournament we have to do well to win the world title.”

Fiji go in to the London competition with a healthy 14-point lead over South Africa, chasing back-to-back titles. They have a challenging group, though, and face hosts England first up, at close to 9pm. They will then tackle Wales and finally Australia in Pool B.

Hayne will certainly be thrown in at the deep end, though Ryan suggested that his game time will be limited.

Ben Ryan is impressed with Jarryd Hayne’s progression.

“We are not going to smash him in the tournament; he will play a couple of minutes here and there,” Ryan added. “I told Jarryd: ‘You are not going to get much game time, because you physically can’t manage it. But let’s just get you out there and see what you can do when the heat is on against the good teams.’”

Originally published as Fiji sevens coach Ben Ryan says Jarryd Hayne has all the attributes to succeed in his new code