Jarryd Hayne fails to make Fiji’s Olympics squad

FIJI – Former rugby league star and NFL player Jarryd Hayne won’t be going to the Rio Olympics after being cut from Fiji’s rugby sevens squad.

Hayne met with coach Ben Ryan on Friday and was told his time with the squad had ended.

Ryan said he could see that he was not going to have enough time remaining to make the final cut.

He said he didn’t want to push Hayne so far that he caused injury and also had no intention of putting him through another huge week when his non-selection had already been decided.

However Ryan commended Hayne for his work ethic and character shown both on and off the training pitch.

He said the camp had an excellent environment and Hayne definitely added to it.

In a Facebook post Hayne said as much as he would have loved to go to Rio, he too knew he wasn’t ready.

The former Parramatta Eel and San Francisco 49er said during his time with the squad he pushed his body and used all his experience as a professional athlete to try and make the team but time was against him.

Hayne announced his shock retirement from the NFL in May after playing a handful of games with the 49ers, saying he wanted to try and make Fiji’s Olympic sevens team.

Hayne said he would stay with the team for a couple of days before heading to Sydney where he would take some time to determine his next steps.

The Fiji sevens team for Rio will be announced on Saturday.

The players believe they are best side on the planet and are not shying away from voicing their expectations of success at the Olympics.

A selection squad of 22 has spent the past four weeks being put through exhaustive fitness sessions and playing inter-squad matches against their fellow hopefuls.

The Fiji men’s sevens are are one of the favourites to win gold in Brazil and head coach Ben Ryan says the players have become more accustomed to the spotlight in the last two years.

“We are where we are on form and on merit. We feel we have the best team on the planet and we want to make sure we put in our best performances in Rio,” he said. - RNZI/PNC