Henry Paterson (rugby 7s) was among 12 debutants in the men’s squad for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Paterson originally tried his hand in rugby league, trialling with the Sydney Roosters before being cut from the squad when he was 18. His father, Trevor Paterson, had played 69 matches for the club between 1986 and 1991.

Henry then decided to try rugby, joining Easts where he played in the Shute Shield, but his career didn’t take off until he linked with trainer Justin Lang – the son of former Cronulla, Souths and Penrith coach John Lang.

Despite not having made his debut on the World Series circuit, Henry was selected for his Olympic debut for Tokyo in 2021 but had to withdraw on the eve of the Games due to injury and was replaced by Nathan Lawson.

Paterson was in outstanding form during the 2021-22 World Rugby Sevens Series, helping the Australia’s win the sport’s annual showpiece series for the first time since it began in 1999-2000.