Sharni Williams

Sharni Smale

Birth name	Sharni Maree Williams
Date of birth	(1988-03-02) 2 March 1988 (age 37)
Place of birth	Batlow, New South Wales
Height	1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Weight	75 kg (165 lb)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Centre, Forward Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) Brumbies Canberra Royals. () International career Years Team Apps (Points) 2008 – present Australia National sevens team Years Team Comps 2011–2024 Australia 7s
Medal record Women's rugby sevens Representing   Australia Olympic Games 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team competition Rugby Sevens World Cup 2022 Cape Town Team competition Commonwealth Games 2022 Birmingham Team competition 2018 Gold Coast Team competition

Playing information
Position	Centre
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2024 Cronulla Sharks 4 0 0 0 0
Source: [1] As of 15 January 2025

Sharni Maree Smale OAM (nee Williams; born 2 March 1988) is a female Australian rugby union and rugby league player. She has played in the centre position for Australia, the Brumbies, and from 2008 to 2012 for the Canberra Royals. She won a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. ^{[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]}

Rugby career

Williams made her international debut for Australia against New Zealand on 14 October 2008 at Viking Park in Canberra. Some days before, she collected three tries in an unofficial test match won 95-0 by the Wallaroos against an Australian President’s XV team. ^{[8] [9]}

During the 2010 Women's Rugby World Cup in England, Williams scored one try against Wales and two in Australia's 62-0 victory over South Africa. ^{[10] [11]}

She was awarded ACT Rugby Rookie of the Year 2008 and Australian Women's Player of the Year 2010. ^{[12] [13]}

Williams made the transition to rugby sevens in 2011, earning a spot in the Australian women’s sevens team where she played every leg of the Women's Sevens World Series from its inception in November 2012. Injury ruled her out of the Sao Paulo Sevens tournament in February 2016, however she returned in time to be named in the final round of the 2015-16 season in Clermont that saw her side win the country's first-ever World Series.

Williams was co-captain of Australia's team at the 2016 Olympics, defeating New Zealand in the final to win the inaugural Olympic gold medal in the sport. ^[14]

On Australia Day 2017, Williams, along with her Rio team mates, was awarded an Order of Australia Medal. ^[15]

Williams was named in the Australia squad for the Rugby sevens at the 2020 Summer Olympics. ^[16] The team came second in the pool round but then lost to Fiji 14-12 in the quarterfinals. ^[17]

Williams won a gold medal with the Australian sevens team at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. ^{[18] [19] [20]} She was a member of the Australian team that won the 2022 Sevens Rugby World Cup held in Cape Town, South Africa in September 2022. ^[21] She was also selected in the Wallaroos team for the delayed 2022 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. ^{[22] [23]}

In 2024, She was named in Australia's women's sevens side for the Summer Olympics in Paris. ^{[24] [25]}

Prior to the 2024 Olympics, she announced an intention to retire from international Rugby Sevens after the games. ^[26]

Rugby League career

Following the 2024 Olympics, she signed with NRLW team Cronulla Sharks for the 2024 season. ^[27] She made her debut on 18 August 2024, the first of four games that season.

Personal life

Aside from her rugby union career, Williams is a qualified motor mechanic. ^[12] She is openly lesbian, ^[28] and changed her name to Smale after marrying partner Mel Smale in 2023. ^[29]

Achievements and honours

• 2017, Canada Sevens Langford dream team ^[30]
• At Los Angeles on 2 and 3 March 2024 she competed in her fiftieth international sevens tournament. ^[31] At the time only five other women had reached this milestone, among them being Charlotte Caslick, Chloé Pelle and Portia Woodman. ^[31]

References

1. "Sharni Smale - Playing Career - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org.
2. Newman, Beth (14 July 2016). "Rio Olympics: Australian Sevens teams announced". www.rugby.com.au. Archived from the original on 12 September 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
3. "Rio Olympics: Australia's men's and women's sevens squads unveiled". foxsports.com.au. 14 July 2016. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
4. "Rio 2016: Olympic squads named by Australia for rugby sevens debut at Games". ABC.net.au. 14 July 2016. Archived from the original on 18 September 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
5. "Australia's Olympic Sevens squads announced". Rugby News.net.au. 2016. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
6. "Australia name a mix of veterans, young guns for men's, women's Olympic sevens squads". ESPN.com.au. 15 July 2016. Archived from the original on 23 July 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
7. "Key players return as Australia name Olympic sevens squads". worldrugby.org. 2016. Archived from the original on 30 October 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
8. "Paper To Paper Wallaroos name first test team to play New Zealand". 13 October 2008. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
9. "Paper to Paper Wallaroos beaten by Black Ferns in first test". 14 October 2008. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
10. "Wallaroos open World Cup with bonus-point win over Wales". 21 August 2010. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
11. "Wallaroos win through to World Cup semi-finals". 29 August 2010. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
12. "2010 squad – Sharni Williams profile". Archived from the original on 28 November 2010. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
13. Greg Growden (22 October 2010). "Eales Medal seals Pocock's rise to leader of the pack in breakaway year". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 24 October 2010. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
14. "Australia wins gold in women's rugby sevens". Sky News. 9 August 2016. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
15. Australian sevens captain Sharni Williams gets Australia Day honour after Olympic gold Archived 29 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine (in English)
16. Williamson, Nathan (2 July 2021). "Australia announces Olympic Sevens squads | Latest Rugby News | RUGBY.com.au". www.rugby.com.au.
17. "Australian Olympic Team for Tokyo 2021". The Roar. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
18. Williamson, Nathan (5 July 2022). "Sevens squad confirmed for Commonwealth Games". rugby.com.au. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
19. "Australia and South Africa win rugby sevens gold at Commonwealth Games". www.world.rugby. 31 July 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
20. Williamson, Nathan (31 July 2022). "Australia claim Commonwealth Games gold". www.rugby.com.au. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
21. "Australia women win Sevens World Cup". Rugby World. 11 September 2022.
22. Williamson, Nathan (7 September 2022). "Wallaroos confirm Rugby World Cup squad". www.rugby.com.au. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
23. Worthington, Sam (7 September 2022). "Rugby stars to play two World Cups in a month". wwos.nine.com.au. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
24. "Rugby Sevens launches Australia's Olympics campaign tonight". www.rugby.com.au. 23 July 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
25. "Paris 2024 Olympics: Charlotte Caslick, Nicholas Malouf to Captain Australian Rugby Sevens Teams - Full Squads". olympics.com. 3 July 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
26. "Rugby sevens star Sharni Smale to hang up her boots after Paris 2024 Olympics". 21 July 2024.
27. "'Couldn't turn it down': Smale the latest Olympian to join NRLW". 13 August 2024.
28. Outsports (12 July 2021). "At least 180 out LGBTQ athletes at Tokyo Olympics, a record by far". Outsports. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
29. "Insight Sport: Sharni Williams and Mel Smale celebrate in the name of love". Daily Telegraph (Australia). 19 February 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
30. "Canadians dominate Langford Dream Team". Americas Rugby News. 29 May 2017. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
31. Morton, Finn (3 March 2024). "Portia Woodman-Wickliffe among three history-making women at SVNS LAX". Rugby Pass. Retrieved 5 March 2024.

External links

• Sharni Smale at Wallaroos
• Sharni Smale at AU7s (archived)
• Sharni Smale (Williams) at the Australian Olympic Committee
• Sharni Williams at Commonwealth Games Australia
• Sharni Williams at Olympics.com
• Sharni Williams at Olympedia
• Sharni Williams on Instagram