Sharni Smale (Williams)

Born and bred in Batlow, NSW Sharni Smale (nee Williams) is one of Australia's best rugby players who has starred in both Sevens and 15s.

Sharni made her international debut in 2008 with the Rugby 15s, getting her first Australian cap against New Zealand. She went on to play at the 2010 Rugby Women’s World Cup in England, where the Wallaroos claimed the bronze medal.

She was awarded ACT Rugby Rookie of the Year in 2008 and Australian Women's Player of the Year in 2010.

Sharni then made the switch to the sevens format in 2011 and played in every leg of the Women's Sevens World Series since its inception from November 2012 to February 2016, when injury ruled her out of the Sao Paulo Sevens.

The NSW native made her Olympic debut at the Rio 2016 Games, where she was named co-captain of the Australian sevens team. In Rio she led the team to victory, defeating New Zealand in the final to win the inaugural Rugby 7s Olympic gold medal.

She made a return to the 15-a-side game for the Wallaroos at the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup in Dublin, finishing fifth. That same year she received the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM), along with her Rio teammates, for services to sport.

In 2018, Sharni led the Australian team to a Commonwealth Games silver medal and a bronze medal at the Rugby World Cup in San Fransisco.

Sharni made her second Olympic appearance at Tokyo 2020, hoping to recreate the achievements at the previous iteration of the Games. Leading by example, Sharni contributed 26 points across the tournament, including group-stage tries against both China and the United States.

This led the Aussies to a quarter-final clash against Fiji, where they would narrowly fall short in a tense match, ending 14-12.

Following this the Australians bounced back and achieved victories over the ROC and United States (who they had lost to in the group stage) to achieve a fifth overall placing at the Games.

In 2022, Sharni helped Australia to a historic triple crown – the World Rugby Sevens Series title, Commonwealth Games gold in Birmingham and the Rugby Sevens World Cup in South Africa, where she was named player of the match in the final against New Zealand.

Australia finished second in the 2022-23 World Rugby Sevens Series, with New Zealand taking the title.

With the Australians performing strongly in the early stages of the 2023-24 series, Sharni was confident she has one more Olympic campaign in her before retirement - announcing she would retire after the Olympics.

"I'm still keeping pace with the emerging talent on the squad and I credit Tom Carter, our athletic performance guru, with my ability to do so,” she said. “I'm in the best shape of my life and it's thanks to him.

"There's nothing like the feeling of standing on the podium, of representing your country on the world stage - who wouldn't want to chase that one last time?

"My journey forward is about inspiring that next generation of athletes, and I aim to do that through my actions. If you want to achieve something, you won't shy away from the hard work it will take to get you there.

Coach Tim Walsh described the decision of the “matriarch of the program” to stay on for Paris as a “massive boost.”

"Sharni brings experience, professionalism and a world-class point of difference," Walsh said.

“Her laugh can be heard first thing on our 'Monday Ready' morning session and her bright smile is infectious on our 'Friday Strong' afternoons. Sharni is a veteran with the energy of a rookie."

At the Paris 2024 Olympics Sharni and the team were a perfect three wins from three games in the pool stage. They took care of Ireland in the quarter-finals 40-7 before a strong Canadian team halted Australia's run in the semi-finals, inflicting a 21-12 loss.

In a tense fight for a bronze medal against the USA, the Americans scored a converted try after time expired for a 14-12 score to relegate the Aussies to fourth place.

Off the pitch, Sharni is a qualified motor mechanic and changed her name to Smale after marrying partner Mel Smale in 2023.

In 2023, she was awarded the LGBTQ Out Role Model Award at the Pride in Sport Awards. The awards recognise exceptional efforts in making Australian sport more inclusive of LGBTQ people.