Jarryd Hayne has been called into Fiji’s London Sevens team this weekend as an injury replacement in coach Ben Ryan’s 12-man squad.
Code hopper Hayne only landed in London on Monday, hours after quitting American football where he played last year as a running back for the San Francisco 49ers.
He cited the August Rio Olympics as his primary motivation for walking out on a lucrative NFL contract to link up with the world beating Fijians.
On arrival in London on Monday, Hayne claimed he was taking baby steps as he worked towards fulfilling his Rio ambition.
This weekend’s Twickenham tournament is the last on this season’s World Series circuit, and Hayne’s best opportunity to convince Ryan he’s worthy of a trip to Rio.
Should Hayne be drafted in at the last minute he’ll have a small but significant window to prove that not only is he capable of playing rugby sevens, but that he’s good enough to force his way into the world’s best team.
Many past and present players have questioned Hayne’s fitness levels this week after a season in the far less aerobically taxing NFL.
Australian forward Jesse Parahi, who started the year with the Wests Tigers in the NRL but has since returned to Sevens Rugby, told Sky Sports Radio this week that Hayne was facing a baptism of fire.
“Six months out of the game and I’m feeling like I fell behind quite a bit, so I think it’ll be pretty tough for Jarryd moving forward,” Parahi said.
“(Sevens) is a completely different beast to the NRL and more so the NFL.
“It’s really short but you’re left on your feet for 14 minutes.” Fiji only needs to make the quarter-finals in London this weekend to secure back-to-back World Series titles.
They’ve already won three of the nine World Series rounds to date.
They finished second to Samoa at the last round in Paris, their second runners-up finish of the series, and also boast two third placings.
They’ve been drawn against Australia, England and Wales in their pool this weekend.
Fiji’s three pool games at Twickenham.
Game one: Fiji v England, Saturday 9.04pm
Game two: Fiji v Wales, Saturday 11.48pm
Game three: Fiji v Australia, Sunday 2.54am