Henry Hutchison

Henry Hutchison burst onto the scene in late 2015 having got a call-up for the Australian side for the Rio 2016 Oceania qualifiers. He was one of the side’s best as the Aussies booked their tickets to Rio. Henry went on to score 27 tries in his debut World Series season, was named rookie of the year and secured a spot in the final 12 for Rio 2016.

The Australian team got off to a slow start in Rio after opening the tournament with a 31-14 point loss to France. The side bounced back with a 26-12 victory over Spain before they kept their medal hopes alive with a 12-5 win over South Africa in their final group match.

They again faced the South African side in the quarter-finals and it was the BlitzBokke who reversed the result to claim a 22-5 win over the Aussies and move through to the final four. Losses to Argentina and France, in which Henry scored his only try of the tournament against, followed for Australia who finished the tournament in eighth.

Following Rio, Henry returned to the 15-man game taking up a one-year deal with Super Rugby club the Melbourne Rebels. After a year, he returned to the Sevens program in 2018 and was named to the Australian side for the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens in San Francisco.

In 2021, Henry was named vice-captain for the Aussie side that played New Zealand over a six-match competition in May. He went on to compete with the Aussies in Townsville for the Oceania Sevens in June.

Henry made his second Olympic appearance at Tokyo 2020. Australia would see themselves progress to the knockout stage of the tournament, after a 42-5 win over South Korea. This set up a quarter-final clash against Fiji, which saw the Aussies denied medal contention losing 19-0. Victory over Canada would earn Henry and Australia seventh place overall at the tournament.

Henry was in outstanding form during the 2021-22 World Rugby Sevens Series – notching up his 100th try and earning selection for his Commonwealth Games debut in Birmingham, where Australian finished fourth, losing to New Zealand in the play-off for bronze.

An ACL tear suffered at the Sydney Sevens tournament in February 2023 sidelined Henry for most of the year. He had also suffered a sprained wrist and broken ribs the previous week in Hamilton, New Zealand.

He made his return to the squad at the Perth Sevens in early 2024, where Australia finished second, going down to Argentina in the final.

Australian Sevens coach John Manenti is delighted to have Henry back to full fitness. “I am over the moon to be able to welcome back Henry Hutchison into the playing squad – an ACL injury always tests a player’s resolve to come back and ‘Hutch’ has worked his tail off to get back.

“He’ll make a big difference just lightening up some of the stuff for Nick (Malouf) and he gives us another strong leader out on the field.”

Away from the rugby pitch, Henry has completed a bachelor of commerce with a major in finance at the University of NSW.

At Paris 2024 Henry played a part in the men's rugby sevens team's best-ever finish at an Olympic Games.

After going undefeated against Samoa (21-14), Kenya (21-7) and Argentina (22-14) in the pool stage they booked a spot in the semi-finals with an 18-0 shutout of the USA. The Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion Fiji side awaited in the quarter-finals, where the Aussie's run was halted with a 7-31 loss.

There was another chance at a medal in the battle for bronze against South Africa hours later, with South Africa winning 26-19 to put Australia in fourth place.

In September 2024 Henry was elected to the Australian Olympic Committee's Athletes' Commission.