AUSTRALIAN coach Michael O'Connor has pinpointed today's last match against proven campaigner South Africa as the pivotal encounter for his youngbloods at the Gold Coast's inaugural World Sevens tournament.

The two-day tournament will be a searching examination of O'Connor's new 12-man squad, which features just four players from last season's globe-trotting series.

Australia possesses the youngest squad of the 16 teams in the season-opening event, highlighted by the selection of 17-year-old Brisbane school leaver Sean McMahon.

In contrast, tournament favourite New Zealand has retained the nucleus of the squad that captured last year's series title and the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Australia's pool B rival South Africa, runner-up to the Kiwis in 2010-11, has also retained a proven team full of experience.

But O'Connor has backed his young guns to step up to the plate after some vigorous trialling in tournaments in the South Pacific and Noosa.

"It is a young side and there's a lot of young boys but I'm very confident about them," he said yesterday.
"I don't think age is an issue."

Australia starts its campaign with matches against Japan and the United States this afternoon, which it will be expected to win.

Its first-day success will hinge on the result against South Africa. O'Connor wants to win the pool and hopefully avoid Samoa in tomorrow's quarter-finals.

The Samoans, who are drawn with France and Argentina in pool C, are the 2009-10 series champions and among New Zealand's biggest title challengers at Skilled Park.

"It's important we win the pool," O'Connor said.

Australia's clash with South Africa is the last game on the 24-game opening-day program at the 27,000-seat stadium.