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Four members of the Australian Sevens team have been included in a 36-man Wallabies squad for their upcoming tour of Hong Kong and Europe.

The sevens team won a silver medal in the Commonwealth Games in Delhi and Wallabies head coach Robbie Deans was clearly impressed with what he saw.

Sevens skipper Pat McCutcheon, half-back Nick Phipps, winger Lachie Turner and winger/full-back Luke Morahan were on Thursday named in the touring party.

Turner is the only one of the four to have earned a Wallabies cap, although Morahan featured in a non-cap midweek match against Cardiff last year.

McCutcheon, 23, played for the Australian Barbarians against England earlier this year while Phipps, 21, will back up Will Genia and Luke Burgess in the half-back position.

In-fact 15 members of Deans’ 36-man squad for the coming seven-match spring tour of Hong Kong and Europe have represented Australia at rugby sevens.

Australia struggled at sevens until greater emphasis was placed on the abbreviated form of the game a couple of years ago and Deans suggested its influence as a pathway to the Wallabies would only increase.

"There's no doubt that over time it's going to be a more significant contributing pathway to the Wallabies," Deans said today.

"I heard a commentary where they said the whole Wallaby backline came through the sevens program and that's off a lack of emphasis. It's only really been since 2008 that we've put the emphasis back on that program."
Phipps, who becomes the first player from the new Melbourne Rebels Super franchise to make a Wallabies squad, said he was "pretty surprised" by his selection.

"It's definitely a surprise seeing as how I will start as the Rebels' third-choice halfback (behind Sam Cordingley and Richard Kingi)," Phipps said.

"I didn't really expect that."