‘It’s just the start’: Former Australia swimming boss behind USA’s rugby sevens rise

Experienced sports official Tamara Sheppard has high hopes for rugby in United States after women's sevens team snatched bronze at Paris 2024

Dozens and dozens of American accents filled the night outside Stade De France on Tuesday, sharing the historic moment: a first Olympic medal for the USA in rugby sevens. They mulled about the players; a smiling crowd of friends, family, staff and fans, desperate for a hug and a photo from these new American heroes.

But one voice was not like the others. Tamara Sheppard, the former head of high performance for the Australian swimming team, was in the thick of it. The Queenslander took the job overseeing USA Rugby's men's and women's program seven months ago. And although Tuesday was an important milestone in rugby's North American emergence, to Sheppard the work is only just beginning.