Since Hack reported on the Australian women's rugby sevens team back in March, they've become the reigning official world champions, and their gold medal chances have been weighed to the gram.

But there has been little recognition of its secret weapon: team-bonding karaoke.

Hack sent a reporter to the team's remote bush-clad training camp in Narrabeen, northern Sydney, to investigate their song selection skills.

We can now reveal the team's self-appointed DJ is Ellia Green - the 23-year-old utility who quit junior sprinting for the national women's rugby sevens team, and two years later scored this 80-metre try against Canada, and became a bit of a superstar:

Skip YouTube Video FireFox NVDA users - To access the following content, press 'M' to enter the iFrame.

She can run 100 metres in 11.2 seconds.

"I like to mix it up because we've got country girls, we've got older girls, you've got to please the staff members as well," Green told Hack when quizzed about her aux cord use.

It's a pretty tough crowd to please."

When pressed, she admitted she liked Motown, was hoping to approach Jay Z about a rap career, and even had some of her own videos on Youtube.

But the greatest revelation has been the team's use of two pre-game change-room anthems, which they deploy depending on the opposition.

The first is the fairly obscure song 'Beast' by Rob Bailey & The Hustle Standard.

"It's one of our team anthems," one of the team's senior players, Alicia Quirk, told Hack.

"Depending on what certain opposition are playing, if we have a physical team we have to aim up to and smash we fire up the Beast and get mongrel and motivated."

The second song is Chicken Fried by the Zac Brown Band.

"If we're really looking to have fun and play our game we let Chicken Fried rip," Quirk said.

Pressure pushing down on me

When we visited Narabeen, an hour's drive from the centre of Sydney, coach Tim Walsh was doing a newspaper interview, and a tabloid photographer was preparing for the team photo.

Skip Souncloud Track FireFox NVDA users - To access the following content, press 'M' to enter the iFrame.

The big question is: can the young team handle the pressure?

Professional women's rugby sevens team didn't even exist until a few years ago - after rugby was made an Olympic sport back in 2009, Australian Rugby Union set up the first team.

It headhunted players from touch rugby and held talent scouting sessions around the country.

It's been a rapid rise. Rugby sevens has tournaments all over the world: making the team meant entry to a glamorous lifestyle of international travel.

Equally, getting cut from the team meant going back to the day job.

There's no professional league. There's no other paying gigs for female rugby players in Australia.

The squad of 21 was recently cut to 16, and this week the final 12 was announced.

"There were a few tears as you can imagine" said Quirk.

Pressure pushing down on you

The team flies out in less than two weeks and their first game is against Colombia on August 6 - the day after the opening ceremony.

They're expected to top their group, and the real test will come against Canada, England and New Zealand. For this opposition, the team will probably deploy the 'Beast' song.

"For the last four years in women's sevens New Zealand have been the champions in everything," Coach Walsh said. "They've had the best player and the world series title."

Share Facebook

Twitter

Mail

Whatsapp Coach Walsh.

Australia beat New Zealand 14-5 in the semi-finals of the world series in France last month, before losing 29-19 to Canada in the final. Despite the loss, have been named the world champions.

Asked if title had put more pressure on the team, Coach Walsh acknowledged "with the expectations of gold does come pressure."

"The Olympics is a whole new different ball game and you go in there with all kinds of pressure," he said.

I do believe whoever handles the pressure the best is going to be on the podium."

Questioned about rumours he liked to listen to Pavarotti, the former captain of the Australian men's sevens team said this was not true, and he was actually a fan of Andrea Bocelli.

"The girls have certainly got me into country and western and all kinds of music," he said.

"A lot of sing-alongs, a lot of pre game songs - a few of them have definitely been etched into the back of my mind forever."