Australian 7s stars out in force this weekend

The tournament will also include the first-ever National Indigenous Womens Sevens team, Australian Services Rugby Union side and international competitors Papua New Guinea.

The ground breaking tournament is a first for Australian Rugby, with state teams from across the country and one international team, gathering in Sydney to contest the title of Australias best sevens side, while also acting as a selection tool for representative duties for the Aussie Pearls and Qantas Womens Sevens.

The two-day tournament will feature three New South Wales teams, two Queensland and Australian Capital Territory teams and one team from Northern Territory, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.

ARU Program Manager of Sevens and Womens Rugby, Dale Roberson, said the tournament was a positive step forward in the pursuit of developing womens Rugby sevens in Australia.

This is a very exciting time for womens Rugby, Roberson said.

This tournament is an enormous step forward in providing a pathway for our women Rugby players.

The National Womens Rugby Sevens Championship provides players from across the country with a competition to strive for, while also providing a clear route from grassroots, to state, to national representation.

While State teams were chosen through tournament participation, trial days and selection camps, players competing at the national tournament now have the opportunity to be invited to train with the Qantas Womens Sevens squad.

The tournament will also feature several players who have already broken through to the Qantas Womens Sevens, with national captain Rebecca Tavo competing for Queensland, Debby Hodgkinson for Western Australia and Bo De La Cruz for Northern Territory.

Qantas Womens Sevens coach Chris Lane will also be on hand to size up the next crop of talent, while Qantas Wallabies coach Robbie Deans will also be in attendance on the final day.

In addition to the 168 female Rugby players, five of the six tournament referees will be women.

The inaugural National Womens Rugby Sevens Championship runs 14-15 April at St. Ignatius College, Riverview.