Brian O'Driscoll thinks more big names could follow in the footsteps of Sonny Bill Williams by trying to qualify for the Olympic sevens.
Ireland rugby legend Brian O'Driscoll believes the lure of an Olympic gold medal could see more players swap the 15-a-side game for sevens in future.
The men's 2018-19 World Rugby Sevens Series gets under way in Dubai on Friday, with four places at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo up for grabs over the course of the campaign.
Sonny Bill Williams was the highest-profile player to make the switch when sevens made its Olympic debut in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, although an early injury curtailed his involvement in a tournament won by Fiji.
O'Driscoll expects more players to try their hand at the format in the years to come but says success in XVs rugby offers little indication of a player's aptitude for sevens.
"That happened in 2015, when Sonny Bill Williams was really the only player who had any success with it," HSBC global rugby sevens ambassador O'Driscoll told Omnisport. "Unfortunately he tore his Achilles about two minutes into the tournament.
"We had other players like Quade Cooper, Liam Messam and even Bryan Habana, who found the transition too difficult.
"There's a different level of fitness needed and I think it was a huge tip of the cap to those playing on the sevens circuit that it's not just a case of anyone being able to move across and play with seamlessness.
"It's a different type of game with the need for a different type of fitness and a different skill set.
"I do feel as though we will have more players who will try to make that transition. Whether they'll be successful in doing so, we'll just have to wait and see."
