Australia’s men’s rugby sevens captain and three-time Olympian Nick Malouf has announced his retirement following the Paris Olympic Games. The 31-year-old, who participated in 61 World Series tournaments and scored 82 tries for a total of 410 points, shared his decision in a statement released by Rugby Australia.
Malouf started his career as a flanker with the University of Queensland and was introduced to the Australian sevens program in 2012, making his debut at the Dubai World Series tournament. He became a regular player over the next three years and successfully recovered from a serious knee injury in 2015.
He represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where the team advanced to the quarterfinals. After a season with the Leicester Tigers in England in 2017, Malouf returned to the sevens program and captained Australia at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, where the team also reached the quarterfinals.
At the recent Paris Olympics, Malouf led Australia to the semifinals for the first time, though the team lost 31-7 to two-time defending champions Fiji, who later lost in the gold medal final to France.
Reflecting on his career, Malouf expressed his gratitude, stating, “I could never have believed I’d be so lucky to enjoy the last 12 years playing the game I love in the company of such great people. Rugby has given me so much and I am so thankful. What a privilege it’s been.”
Australia sevens coach John Manenti praised Malouf as an extraordinary leader. He noted, “For years he’s driven this group and is the most successful Australian men’s sevens captain in terms of World Series wins, tournament wins, and Olympic performances. But most of all he’s a great man and we wish him every success in the business world.”